LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 

UNITED STATES HF AMERICA 



\ 



THE 



THE 



GEDIPUS JUDAICUS. 



BY 



THE RIGHT HONORABLE 



SIR W- DRUMMOND. 



CEDIPO conjectore opus est. 

Plautus. 




Contion: 

PRINTED BY A. J. VALPY, TOOK's COURT, 
CHANCERY LANE. 



1811. 




LATELY PUBLISHED, 
Price ll. 1 1 5. 6d, 

ELEGANTLY PRINTED IN ROYAL QUARTO, 
BY THE SAME AUTHOR, 

An ESSAY on a PUNIC INSCRIPTION; 

Including a mriety of Biblical Criticism, 



DIRECTIONS TO THE BINDER. 



This to be inserted after the Title Page, 
Put Plates after page Ixxxii. 



a 



ADDITIONAL REMARKS. 

These are become necessary from the fault of the Author, nut 
of the Printer. 



Page 14. 

The reader will please to observe, that in this page the 
author is speaking according to the fixed zodiac. 

Page 20. 

For, " when the Sun is in the sign of Capricorn/' read, 
when the sign of Capricorn rises." 

Pages 87. and 89. 
For, " Civil year," read, " Sacred year." 



Page 288. 

After the word, " written," add, " according to the 
fixed zodiac." 



TABLE OF CON TENl^. 



Preface,* ••••••• •• i 

Preliminary Notice, xxv 

Observations on the Plates Annexed, lix 

Plates, Ixxxiii 

Dissertation 1. on the 49th Chap, of Genesis, lately 
inserted in the Sixth Number of the Classical, 
Biblical, and Oriental Journal, for 

June, 1811. ......^ 1 

Do. — IL— 14 Do 47 



Dissertation III. Concerning the Tabernacle and 

Temple, ••••• 115 

j[)o. ^ IV. On the Book of Joshua, ........ 155 

Do.- V. Sketch of a Commentary or Dissert- 
ation on the Book of Judges^ 343 

Do. — — VI. A Short Dissertation concerning the 

Paschal Lamb, • • • • • 365 



Bind in after Table of Contents. 



ADDITION. 



In speaking of the 12th verse of the 10th chapter of 
the Book of Joshua_, I might have observed, that if the 
year be taken at 36.5 days, and if we suppose one day 
intercalated every fourth year, the meaning will come out 
more obviously. This one day was not admitted into the 
sacred, but into the astronomical, year of the Egyptians. 
An ancient and anonymous writer gives us the following 
account: In templo ^gypti Memphis, (lege Apidis 
Memphi) nios fuit solio regio decorari reges, qui regna- 
bant. Ibi enim sacris initiabantur primilm, ut dicitur, 
Reges, satis religios^ tunicati : et Tauro, quem Apim 

appellant, jugum portare fas erat, et per vicum 

unum duci. Deducitur autem a Sacerdote Isidis in locum 
qui nominatur Adytos, et jurejurando adigitur, neque 
mensem, neque diem intercalandum, quem in festum diem 



2 

immiitarentj, sed ccclxv dies peracturos, siciit inslilu- 
tum est ab antiquis. It follows from this, that when the 
Priests reckoned by their sacred year^ they would lose a 
whole day every fourth year. This day, as 1 have said 
above, was reckoned in the astronomical year ; but as this 
was against the religious law, the Priests seem to have 
feigned^ that during that day the course of the Sun and 
Moon was suspended ; and thus obtained their small cani- 
cular period mentioned by Bailly. 



PREFACE 



It will naturally be asked by those, who 
may chance to see this volume, why its 
author has caused a book to be printed, 
which he yet does not choose to publish. 
When, however, it is considered, that I have 
treated chiefly of things deemed sacred, 
and that there is considerable novelty in 
some of my opinions, I trust, that I shall 
be easily pardoned, if I confine the distri- 
bution of the copies of this work to a 
narrow circle. 



ii PREFACE. 

I pretend, that the ancient Jews, Hke 
other nations of antiquity, had their esoteric 
and their exoteric doctrines. They concealed 
the former under innumerable types and 
symbols, the meaning of which is generally 
unknown among their descendants. It is 
the object of my book to explain the hidden 
sense of many passages in the Hebrew- 
Scriptures ; but as Christians are, for the 
most part, so well satisfied with the literal 
sense, as never to look for any other, 
except when it is thought that some allusion 
is made to the advent of Christ, I feel 
myself unwilling to publish any explana- 
tions of the original text, which may not 
coincide wdth those notions concerning its 
meaning which are most commonly received. 
JBesides,there may be passages in this volume, 
w^hich are capable of alarming the timid, and 
of provoking the prejudiced. Ignorance 
bears ill being told, that it has much to 
learn ; and to instruct Pride is to affront it. 



PREFACE. iii 

The Old Testament is a book, which we 
have all read in our childhood, when reason 
proposes no doubts, and when judgment is 
too feeble to decide for itself. But its 
early associations are generally the strongest 
in the human mind; and what we have 
been taught to credit as children, we are 
seldom disposed to question as men. 
Called away from speculative inquiries by 
the common business of hfe, men in gene- 
ral possess neither the inclination, nor the 
leisure, to examine what they believe, or 
why they believe. A powerful prejudice 
remains in the mind ; — ensures conviction 
without the trouble of thinking; — and repels 
doubt without the aid or authority of 
reason. The multitude, then, is not very 
hkely to applaud an author, who calls upon 
it to consider what it had hitherto neglected, 
and to stop where it had been accustomed 
to pass on. It may also happen, that 
there is a learned and a formidable body, 



iv PREFACE, 

which, having given its general sanction to 
the Uteral interpretation of the Hebrew 
Scriptures, maybe offended at the presump- 
tion of an unhallowed layman, who ventures 
to hold, that the language of those Scrip- 
tures is often symbolical and allegorical, 
even in passages, which both the Church 
and the Synagogue consider as containing 
nothing else than a plain statement of facts. 
A waiter, who had sufficient boldness to 
encounter such obstacles, and to make an 
appeal to the public, would only expose 
himself to the invectives of offended bigotry, 
and to the misrepresentations of interested 
malice. The press would be made to ring 
with declamations against him; and neither 
learning, nor argument, nor reason, nor 
moderation, on his side, would protect him 
from the literary assassination which awaited 
him. In vain would he put on the heaven- 
tempered panoply of Truth. The weapons^ 



PREFACE, V 

which could neither pierce his buckler, 
nor break his casque, might be made to 
pass with envenomed points through the 
joints of his armour. Every trivial error, 
which he might commit^ would be magni- 
fied into a flagrant fault ; and every insig- 
nificant mistake, into which he might fall, 
would be represented by the bigoted, or 
by the hireling critics of the day, as an 
ignorant, or as a perverse, deviation from 
the truth. 

Under these circumstances, I feel little 
inclination to make my opinions too 
publicly known. It may be hoped, how- 
ever, that reason and liberality will soon 
again be progressive in their march ; and 
that men will cease to think that Religion 
can be really at war with Philosophy. 
When we hear the timid sons of Supersti- 
tion calling to each other to rally round the 



vi 



PREFACE. 



altar, we may well blush for human weak- 
ness. The altar, of which the basis is 
established by Reason, and which is 
supported by Truth and Nature, can never 
be overthrown. It is before that altar 
that I kneel, and that I adore the God, 
whom philosophy has taught me to consider 
as the infinite and eternal Mind, that 
formed, and that sustains, the fair order of 
Nature, and that created and preserves the 
universal system. 

To a small circle I think myself at liberty 
to observe, that the manner in which the 
Christian readers of the Old Testament 
generally choose to understand it, appears 
to me to be a little singular. While the 
Deity is represented with human passions, 
and those none of the best ; — while he is 
described as a quarrelsome, jealous, and 
vindictive being; — while he is shown to be 



PREFACE. Vii 

continually changing his plans for the 
moral government of the Avorld ; — and 
while he is depicted as a material and local 
God, who dwelt on a box made of Shittim 
wood in the temple of Jerusalem ; — they 
abide by the literal interpretation. They 
see no allegory in the first chapters of 
Genesis ; nor doubt, that far the greater 
portion of the human race is doomed to 
suffer eternal torments, because our first 
parents ate an apple, after having been 
tempted by a talking serpent. They find 
it quite simple, that the triune Jehovah 
should dine on veal cutlets at Abrahan/s 
table ; nor are they at all surprised, that 
the God of the universe should pay a visit 
to Ezekiel, in order to settle with the 
Prophet, whether he should bake his bread 
with human dung, or with cow's dung. In 
these examples the Christian readers of the 
Hebrew Scriptures understand no allegory. 



Viii PREFACE. 

They believe the facts to have happened 
Hterally as they are stated ; and neither 
suspect, nor allow, that the language of 
the sacred writers upon such occasions may 
be entirely figurative. Very different is 
their mode of interpreting these same 
Scriptures, when they think there is any 
allusion made to the kingdom of Christ. 
Then they abandon the literal sense without 
scruple, and sometimes, it may be thought, 
without consideration. The Rabbins learn 
with astonishment, that the Song of Solo- 
mon, for example, is a mere allegory, which 
represents the love of Jesus for his church ; 
and that the lady, whose navel was like a 
round goblet, not wanting liquor, — whose 
belly was like a heap of wheat, set about 
with lilies, — whose nose was as the tower 
of Lebanon, which looketh towards Damas- 
cus, — and who promised to her well- 
beloved, that he should lie all night betwixt 



PREFACE. ix 

her breasts, — Avas not Solomon^s mistress, 
but the Church, the spiritual spouse of 
Christ. 

But since the Christians do admit alle- 
gory — since they even contend that the 
Old Testament abounds with figurative and 
symbolical language, descriptive of the 
advent of the Messiah ; why will they so 
strenuously insist upon the strict interpre- 
tation of the text in other examples ? Be 
their decision what it may, the theist is 
bound to vindicate the majesty of the 
Deity. , 

Cicero has said, that it is easier to tell 
what God is not, than what he is. Now 
every theist is surely prepared to say, that 
the Deity is neither unjust, nor cruel, nor 
liable, in any manner, to the frailties of 
human nature. Is it possible for the literal 



X 



PREFACE. 



interpreter of the Hebrew Scriptures to aver 
this of Jehovah ? The Lord hardened the 
heart of Pharaoh; — was it just then to 
afflict Egypt with so many calamities, on 
account of Pharaoh's obstinacy ? The 
destruction of the seven nations, 'ordained 
in the seventh chapter of Deuteronomy, 
appears to be utterly irreconcileable either 
to justice or to mercy. Their crime was 
idolatry ; but this was the crime of all 
mankind with the exception of the Hebrews ; 
and the seven nations seem to have merited 
so terrible a fate less than the Egyptians, 
who beheld all the miracles performed by 
Jehovah, and who yet continued to worship 
the Gods of their country. But we cannot 
wonder at these things, since the passions 
of anger and jealousy, and the feeling of 
repentance, or regret, which are human 
infirmities, are frequently attributed to the 
God of the Hebrews. 



PRETACE. 



xi 



Is there a mind, capable of forming just 
notions of the Deity, that can beheve any 
testimony, which records that the divine, 
infinite, and eternal Being is affected by 
accident, or is subject to passion ? It is 
impossible for the theist to admit, that any 
thing is more powerful than God ; and, 
therefore, he cannot allow, that God can 
ever be in a state of passion ; for passion 
must always be the effect of action, and 
of action which cannot be resisted. Passion 
is sufferance^, and no being suffers of its 
own accord. If any thing could put the 
divine mind into a state of passion, that 
thing would act independently, and in spite 
of God. Hobbes has said that passion is 
power. He should rather have held, that 
it proves power, for it is the effect of 
power. 

From this view of the subject, then, I 



xii 



PREFACE. 



am not afraid to state, that, if the writers 
of the Old Testament were really inspired, 
thej must be supposed to have spoken 
figuratively on all those occasions, when 
they have ascribed human passions to the 
Supreme Being. It may be objected to 
me, that as the Hebrew Scriptures contain 
little else than the histories of squabblings 
and bickerings between Jehovah and his 
people, we might come in this way to 
allegorise the greater part, if not the 
whole, of the Old Testament. I confess, 
for my own part, I would rather believe 
the whole to be an allegory, than think for 
a moment, that infinite wisdom could ever 
waver in its judgments, could ever be dis- 
turbed by anger, or could at any time 
repent of what it had ordained. 

These are opinions which I have no 
wish of promulgating to the mob ; but I 



PREFACE. Xiil 

call upon the theist, who has contemplated 
the universe as the work of intelligence, to 
consider, whether the Old Testament, if 
literally interpreted, present him with such 
exalted notions of the Deity, as natural 
religion is itself capable of inspiring. I 
must acknowledge, that the Jewish scrip- 
tures, thus understood, appear to me to 
be contrary to all true theology. It is 
monstrous to be told, if the sense be taken 
literally, that the infinite Mind show^ed its 
hack parts to Moses. I read with pain, if 
there be no allegory, that the God of nature 
revealed himself to Jacob, in order that 
that Hebrew shepherd should make a 
journey to Bethel ; — that this same keeper 
of kine and sheep, after having wrestled 
with a man all night, boasted in the morn- 
ing that he had seen God ; — ^and that the 
Lord of the Universe showed himself in a 
vision to Jacob, standing upon the top of a 



Xiv PREFACE. 

ladder. Then what are those things upon 
the ladder, which our painters represent 
with chubby cheeks, with wings at their 
shoulders, and with long petticoats ? If 
Jacob saw all these things in a dream, it 
must be evident that he was dreaming 
indeed. Am I really to believe in the 
existence of such singular conversations, as 
are said, in the book of Job, to have taken 
place between God and the Devil ? " Skin 
for skin," said Satan to Jehovah. The 
expression is not very elegant, and it does 
not sound very spiritual. The story of 
Jonah in the fish's belly, if it be not allego- 
rical, is a most surprising one, and the 
whole must be a little puzzling to the natu- 
ral historian. We are told in one of the 
Psalms, that God rode upon a cherub. But 
we learn from Ezekiel, that a cherub was a 
strange creature with four heads, like a 
man's, a lion's, a bull's, and an eagle's, — 



PREFACE. XV 

with four wings, — with one hand, — and with 
the hoofs of a calf. This was a very singu- 
lar equipage for Jehovah to choose, when 
he went to take an airing. I shall leave 
the literal interpreters to explain these 
things as they can. 

There are, however, some yet graver 
objections which I have to make against 
them. I cannot reconcile to my notions of 
the perfectly wise and good Being the lite- 
ral interpretation of the verse in Exodus ; — 
" And the Lord repented of the evil which 
he thought to do unto his people.'" Perfect 
wisdom cannot repent of its intentions, 
any more than perfect goodness can think 
of doing evil. When it is stated in Gene- 
sis, " that it repented the Lord, that he 
had made man on the earth, and that it 
grieved him at his heart,"' we can scarcely 
suppose, that this was literally meant. 



Xvi PREFACE, 

The prescient God cannot be imagined 
to do any thing, which he foreknows he 
will afterwards be grieved at his heart for 
having done. 

I have no doubt that the Jewish Rabbins 
firmly believe, that the Deity conversed 
with their ancestors upon the very various, 
but not always very important, topics, 
which the infinite God is said to have dis- 
cussed with his priests and his prophets. It 
is diflScult, however, not to observe, that 
some of the divine discourses are dictated 
by an extraordinary spirit of vindictive 
jealousy, while others are marked by a 
prolixity, a garrulity, and a familiarity of 
style, not altogether characteristic of the 
wisdom and majesty of the Supreme Being. 
The Platos, the Ciceros, and the Senecas 
of the Pagan world would probably have 
been astonished, if they had been assured, 



PREFACE. 



xvii 



that the following sentences had proceeded 
from the highest intelligence. — " For I the 
Lord thy God am a jealous God."' (Exod. 
20.) " I will bring evil upon this place.'^ 
(2 Kings, 22.) " Behold, mine anger and 
my fury shall be poured out upon this 
place, upon man, upon beast, upon the 
trees of the field, &c." (Jer. 7.) " It 
repenteth me that I have set up Saul to 
be king.'" (1 Sam. 15.) The sages of anti- 
quity would perhaps have thought the 
tongue to be impious, which had pro- 
nounced that the God of the universe 
could be in a state either of fury, or of 
repentance. 

The same sages, who have spoken so 
divinely of the greatness and infinity of the 
Supreme Intelligence, would have been 
scarcely less surprised at hearing the fol- 
lowing words. — " Go, tell my servant 

b 



XViii PREFACE. 

David, Thus saith the Lord, Shalt thou 
not build me a house for me to dwell in ? 
Whereas I have not dwelt in any house, 
since the time I brought up the children of 
Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but 
have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle/' 
(2 Sam, 7.) 

We occasionally meet with a colloquial 
freedom of style, and a minuteness of 
detail in some of the discourses attributed 
to Omnipotence, which must appear rather 
singular to the disciple of Natural Religion. 
" And the Lord said unto Abraham, where- 
fore did Sarah laugh?'' (Gen. 18.) " And 
the Lord smelled a sweet savor, and the 
Lord said in his heart, I will not again 
curse the ground any more, &c/' (Gen. 8.) 
It is as difficult to conceive, how Sarah 
came to laugh in the presence of the 
Almighty, as it is to understand how the 



PREFACE. Xix 

immaterial essence of the Deity dined at 
Abraham's table, after having had his feet 
washed by the pious Patriarch. The 
reason which is given, why the Lord said 
he would not curse the ground any more, 
appears to me to be very strange. God 
smelled a sweet savor ; and because his 
olfactory nerves were agreeably tickled, he 
would not curse the ground any more. It 
will be in vain pretended, that such a pas- 
sage as this can be reconciled to a true 
system of theology, unless it be frankly 
acknowledged, that the Hebrew Scriptures 
are allegorical writings, in which the literal 
meaning is rarely the real one. 

In the speeches ascribed to the Supreme 
Being, we meet with such sentences as the 
following. " And thou shalt make his 
pans to receive his ashes, and his shovels, 
and his basins, and his flesh-hooks, and 



XX PREFACE. 

his fire-pans, &c/' (Exod. 27.) " Also thou 
shalt take of the ram the fat and the rump, 
and the fat that covereth the inwards, and 
the caul above the liver, and the two kid- 
neys, &c " (Exod. 29.) When I lift my 
eyes to the starry vault of heaven, and 
when I recollect that God is the creator 
and preserver of more suns and worlds, 
tlian I can either count or imagine, I hope 
not to be obliged literall}^ to believe, that 
the primordial, infinite, and ineffable Being 
talked to Moses, or to any body else, about 
pans and shovels, or about the fat, the 
rump, and the guts, of a ram. 

My notions of the Divine Nature may 
be very heterodox, but they do not permit 
me to attribute human infirmities to God. 
I cannot suppose the Deity first creating 
our little earth, and then fretting because 
he had done so. I cannot ascribe to him 



PREFACE. Xxi 

all the scolding and cursing about idolatry ; 
all the squabbling about capricious laws ; 
and all that prattling and gossiping about 
insignificant rites and ceremonies, which 
so frequently occur in the Jewish legends. 
I cannot allow myself to imagine that the 
Sacred Writers were speaking literally, when 
they talked of these things; and I feel 
myself compelled either to consider their 
writings as impositions on the credulity of 
mankind, or to believe that they are 
chiefly, if not entirely, allegorical composi- 
tions. 

In the CEdipus Judaicus it will be found, 
that I have adopted the latter opinion. I 
recollect, that Moses was learned in all the 
wisdom of the Egyptians ; and I expect to 
find traces of that wisdom in his works. 
The learned among the ancient Egyptians 
were pure theists, as Cudworth has proved. 



Xxii PREFACE. 

They were deeply skilled in the sciences ; 
but they carefully concealed their myste- 
rious learning under innumerable symbols 
and allegories. May we not look then for 
the same things in the writings, which are 
ascribed to the Jewish lawgiver? It is 
what I have done ; and I submit to the 
judgment of a few individuals, the result of 
my researches. 



PRELIMINARY NOTICE. 



/ 

PRELIMINARY NOTICE, 



As I have had occasion to say a great 
deal on the subject of Astronomy in the 
following pages, I must take the liberty of 
requesting my reader to peruse them with 
his celestial globe beside him. He will of 
course make allowances for the retrograde 
motion of the fixed stars. There is one 
difficulty, which I ought to mention, and 
which I have felt during the whole of the 
time I was employed about this opusculum. 
It seems to me, at least, impossible to fix 
the time, when the books of the Old Tes« 
tament, which I have examined, were 



XXVi PRELIMINARY 

written. I have seen chronological tables, 
where the death of Abraham is stated to 
have happened in a certain year, and 
where the periods, when Moses and Joshua 
lived, are denoted. I confess I have very 
little faith in such tables. It is likewise, I 
acknowledge, not quite clear to me, who 
were the authors of the books in question, 
and when they lived. Circumstances have 
been pointed out by Aben Ezra, by the 
Pere Simon, and by others, which seem to 
render it very questionable, whether Moses 
were really the author of the Pentateuch, 
Now without a more exact and certain 
knowledge of these matters, I have thought 
it better not to insist too much on the posi^ 
lions of the constellations, as referring to 
dates given in the Chronological Tables. 



I have made frequent use of the word 
paranatellon ; and it may be expedient to 



NOTICE. xxvii 

explain it to some of my readers. The 
Oriental astronomers divided each sign of the 
zodiac into three parts. These were called 
decans, and amounted to thirty-six for the 
whole zodiacal circle. But the same astro- 
nomers also considered the constellations, 
or the asterisms, on both sides of the 
zodiacal circle, as connected with these 
decans. There was consequently a division 
of these extra-zodiacal constellations, 
amounting to thirty-six, the number of the 
decans. Now the extra-zodiacal stars, 
which are on either side of a decan, and 
which rise above the horizon, or sink below 
it, during the time that decan takes to rise 
or set, are what I call its paranatellons. 
The paranatellom of a whole sign may con- 
sequently be easily found. Many of the 
astronomical allusions of the Orientalists 
can only be understood by considering this 
theory. 



xxviii 



PRELIMINARY 



There are a few observations concerning 
the zodiac, which I ought to make. 

The constellations of the zodiac are 
necessarily displaced by the precession of 
the equinoxes. This has given rise to a 
distinction, which it is proper to state, 
because, without noticing it, we shall be led 
into mistakes. Astronomers, then, distin- 
guish between a fixed and intellectual 
zodiac ; and the moveable and visible 
zodiac. According to the former, Aries 
still stands as the first of the signs ; — that 
is to say, the first thirty degrees of the zodi- 
acal circle, reckoning from the equinoctial 
point in Spring, are allotted to Aries in the 
intellectual zodiac. The constellation, 
however, which is designed by the figure of 
a Ram, no longer occupies these first thirty 
degrees of the zodiacal circle. Its place is 
now held by Pisces; and the Ram has taken 



NOTICE. Xxix 

up the station formerly occupied by the 
Bull, which in its turn takes up the place 
formerly held by the Twins ; and so of all 
the rest. Astronomers generally choose to 
reckon by the fixed and intellectual zodiac ; 
and this seems to have been the case from a 
very early period. I am, indeed, inclined 
to think, that the ancient Egyptians and 
Chaldeans reckoned according to the intel- 
lectual zodiac; but that the first of the 
signs in their intellectual zodiac (I am 
speaking of very remote times) was Taurus. 
Perhaps it would not be amiss if astrono- 
mers brought the intellectual nearer to the 
visible zodiac. I have, however, now said 
enough to enable any of my readers, who 
may not have attended to these things, to 
understand, whether I be alluding, in dif- 
ferent places, to the fixed and intellectual 
zodiac, or whether I be referring to that, 
which is retrograde and visible. 



XXX 



PRELIMINARY 



It now only remains for me to say a few- 
words concerning the masoretic points. 
These, it will be seen, I have wholely dis- 
carded. If my reader wish to know why I 
have done so, he may consult Morinus, who 
in my opinion has set the question at rest. 
I believe, however, that there are now few 
Hebraists, who will think of undertaking to 
defend the masorah. 



In addition to the above remarks, I find 
myself compelled to take particular notice 
of an objection, which has been made to 
my theory. I have briefly adverted to it 
in my dissertation on the Book of Joshua ; 
but I have not there given it so full a con- 
sideration as I should have done, if I had 
been aware of the importance, which has 
been attached to it by its supporters. 



NOTICE. 



xxxi 



Some persons have contended, that when 
the first books of the Old Testament were 
written, the zodiac was not yet divided into 
twelve constellations ; — that when that divi- 
sion did take place, the zodiacal signs were 
not represented in the same manner by the 
Egyptians and Orientalists, as by the 
Greeks ; — and finally, that in the time of 
Moses the knowledge of the sphere did not 
yet exist. 

To fix the time when the books of Moses 
and Joshua were written, may not be so 
easy a task as some of the objectors seem to 
suppose; but let them take the earliest 
period which they can reasonably assume, 
and I fear not to show, that before that 
period the division of the zodiac into twelve 
signs was known to the Orientalists ; and 
that the figures there represented did not 
materially differ from those, which were 
afterwards exhibited in the Grecian zodiac, 



xxxii 



PRELIMINARY 



allowing for a few exceptions, which can- 
not affect my general argument. 

I believe, that no person will pretend, 
that the Pentateuch was written at an 
earlier era than 1500 years before Jesus 
Christ. My own judgment would lead me 
to fix the date at a much later period ; but 
upon this point I shall not insist. 

M. Bailly, in his History of Astronomy, 
tells us, that the zodiac of the Indians had 
two different divisions, one consisting of 
twenty-eight, and the other of twelve, con- 
stellations. He also observes, that they 
had two different zodiacs, the one fixed, 
and the other moveable. The discovery of 
the latter he states to have taken place 
about 2250 years before Jesus Christ, and 
consequently 750 years before the Penta- 
teuch could have been written. 



NOTICE. xxxiii 

The same author places the invention of 

» 

the Persian sphere about 3000, or 3200 
years before Jesus Christ, and consequently 
1500 or 1700 years before the time, when 
it is pretended, that Moses wrote the 
Pentateuch. 

To fix the exact date when the Egyp- 
tians first divided the zodiac into twelve 
signs, would be very difficult. Macrobius 
attributes the invention of the zodiac to 
the Egyptians, and Jamblichus asserts, 
that Hermes was the author of it. But it 
is not easy to determine the time when 
Hermes florished. The accounts concern- 
ing him are so vague and contradictory, 
that it seems idle to say more than that he 
lived at a very remote period of antiquity. 
This second Hermes, however, seems rather 
to have been the restorer, than the original 
discoverer^ of science ; since he is said by 

c 



XXxiv PRELIMINARY 

Manetho to have deciphered the hierogly- 
phics on the ancient monuments. I am 
inchned to think, that the zodiac was 
divided into twelve signs by the Egyptians 
about the time, when they introduced the 
twelve great Gods. Now the Egyptian 
Hercules was one of these; and without 
attributing to him the extreme antiquity, 
which was claimed for him by the priests 
in the time of Herodotus, we may easily 
admit him to have florished long before 
the age of Moses. (See Herodotus, I. 2. 
c. 4. 43. 144.) 

According to Diodorus Siculus, the 
Grecian Hercules, whom we must not con- 
found with the Egyptian, introduced the 
knowledge of the sphere (tqv (r<poLipiKQv "kiyov) 
into Greece. Others have named Musaeus, 
and others Chiron. Be this as it may, the 
Greeks appear to have become acquainted 



NOTICE. XXXV 

with the sphere more than thirteen centu- 
ries before Christ ; and consequently not 
two centuries after the time of Moses. 

We have now seen pretty clearly, I think, 
that the Egyptians and OrientaHsts were 
acquainted with the sphere and with the 
zodiac, before the Pentateuch could have 
been written ; even allowing, what I think 
to be extremely doubtful, that it was com- 
posed at so early a period as 1500 years 
before Jesus Christ. 

But I have passed cursorily over this 
part of the subject, and have not even 
noticed the high pretensions of the Chal- 
deans, who date their astronomical disco- 
veries from so remote a period as the reign 
of Belus. I imagine, that the objectors 
are chiefly disposed to argue, that the forms 
now exhibited in the Oriental zodiacs have 



XXXvi PRELIMINARY 

been copied from the zodiac of the Greeks. 
It is then to this subject that I must direct 
the attention of my reader ; and although 
the due limits of a mere preliminary notice 
will compel me to be brief, I have yet no 
doubt that I shall be able completely to 
repel this objection. 

M. Bailly seems inclined to think, that 
the Indian zodiac was the most ancient 
of any. We have already seen, that the 
Indians invented their moveable zodiac 
750 years before the time of Moses. In the 
Philosophical Transactions for 1772, we 
find a representation of an Indian zodiac. 
Its resemblance to our's, though it differ in 
some respects, is exceedingly striking. 
Aquarius is represented by an urn. In 
Pisces, there is only one fish. In the two 
next signs we find the Ram and the Bull. 
Instead of the Twins, a man is represented 



NOTICE. 



xxxvii 



with two shields. The two next signs are 
the same as our's. Virgo is depicted as a 
young girl seated according to the Oriental 
fashion. The Balance is exhibited as by 
us ; the image of the Scorpion is much 
defaced; and Sagittarius is represented by 
a bow and arrow. We denote Capricorn 
by a goat with the tail of a fish; but in this 
Indian zodiac the goat and the fish are 
separated. The objectors pretend, that this 
zodiac must have been copied from a Greek 
zodiac after the time of Alexander^ But 
it is not the character of the Indians to 
copy from other nations ; and when they 
do condescend to become copyists, they 
are, I am assured, minutel}^ faithful to their 
originals. The very discrepancies, then, 
which may be observed in the Indian and 
the Grecian zodiacs, may lead us to believe, 
that it was the Greeks who made the 
changes. The love of change belonged as 



XXXViii PRELIMINARY 

much to the character of the Greeks, as it 
was remote from that of the Indians. Let 
us also observe, that this Indian zodiac is 
square. Now the Indians would hardly 
have taken this figure, if they had seen the 
circular zodiac of the Greeks. Then the 
goat and the fish are separated in the Indian 
zodiac, and united in the Greek; and this 
affords a strong presumptive proof of the 
former having been the original ; because 
it is more natural for a copyist to combine 
two distinct ideas, than to separate them 
after they have once been vmited. Again, 
this Indian zodiac contains but one fish in 
Pisces, Of this there is no example in the 
Greek zodiacs; but it would seem from 
Kircher, that Ichthon, or rather Dagon, had 
his station in this sign in the Egyptian 
zodiac. 

Sir William Jones was a tolerable judge 



NOTICE. XXxix 

of these matters, and he strongly maintains 
the antiquity of the Indian zodiac. His 
translation from the Sanscrit verses, in 
which the Indians give an account of their 
own zodiac, is so curious, that I shall trans- 
cribe it. " The Ra7n^ Bull, Crab, Lion, 
and Scorpion, have the figures of those five 
animals respectively: the Pair (the Twins) 
are a damsel playing on a Vina (a harp), 
and a youth wielding a mace : the Virgin 
stands on a boat in water, holding in one 
hand a lamp, in the other an ear of rice- 
corn ; the Balance is held by a weigher, 
with a weight in one hand : the Bow by an 
archer, whose hinder parts are like those of 
a horse : the Sea-monster has the face of an 
antelope: the Ewer is a water-pot, borne 
on the shoulder of a man, who empties it : 
the Fish are two with their heads turned to 
each other's tails, &c." But I shall leave 
the objectors to answer the arguments of 



xl PRELIMINARY 

Bailly and Jones concerning the zodiac of 
the Indians, and shall proceed to consider 
that of the Persians. 

Diodorus Siculus tells us, that a God 
was supposed by the Persians to preside 
over each of the twelve signs of the zodiac. 
But it appears from the Zendavesta, that 
this division of the zodiac was made in the 
time of Zoroaster. Hyde has most errone- 
ously placed Zoroaster as contemporary 
with Darius. Suidas fixes his era at 500 
years before the Trojan war. Plutarch 
places him 5000 years before that time; 
and though I shall not say with Pliny, that 
Zoroaster lived many thousand years before 
Moses, yet I have no great hesitation in 
admitting, that the Persian preceded the 
Jewish sage by several centuries. (Consult 
Plutarch, de Is. et Osir. and Pliny, 1. 30. 
c. 1.) No\ what are the figures of the 



NOTICE. 



xli 



Persian zodiac described in that most 
ancient book the Zendavesta? Thej are 
thus named in their order : — The Lamb, the 
Bull, the Twins, the Crab, the Lion, the 
Ear of corn, the Balance, the Scorpion, the 
Bow, the Goat, the Pitcher, and the 
Fishes. 

I shall not dispute whether the Egyp- 
tians were, or were not, the first inventors 
of the zodiacal images. I must, however, 
most strongly protest against the idea, that 
they ever copied their symbols from the 
Greeks. I have already shown, that there 
is every reason to conclude, that the Egyp- 
tians had divided the zodiac into twelve 
constellations, centuries before the age of 
Moses. I shall now endeavour to prove, 
that the Greeks copied the images of their 
zodiac from the Egyptians and the Orien- 
talists* 



xlii PRELIMINARY 

1. Hipparchus, if I do not err, Avas the 
first among the Greeks, who estabhshed 
what has since been called the fixed zodiac; 
and he placed Aries as the first of the signs. 
Theon, indeed, reproves Aratus for making 
Cancer the first of the signs, when the 
Egyptians, whom Theon intimates Aratus 
to hare been copying, made Aries the first. 
This shows then, that the Greeks were in 
the habit of copying the Egyptians in 
these matters. It is besides obvious, that 
Aries has little or nothing to do with Greek 
mytholog3^ The Ram was the well-known 
type of the Egyptian Ammon. In the 
planispheres of Kircher we find the Ram's 
horns. In those of Dendera the Ram is 
represented, as also in the fragment of the 
Egyptian zodiac found at Rome, of which 
an engraving is given by Bailly. 



2. The Bull was a symbol of the sun, 



NOTICE. xliii 

known all over the East, long before it can 
be pretended that the Greeks had a zodiac 
at all. On many Indian, as well as on 
many Persian, monuments, we find the 
Bull. Then the worship of Apis, proved by 
the Pentateuch itself to be so ancient, may 
lead us to wonder how it can be fancied, 
that the Greeks were the first, who placed 
this symbol in the zodiac. 

3. The Greeks claim the symbol of the 
third sign as their own invention; and the 
story of Castor and Pollux may have been 
the production of their imagination. Some 
of their mythologists, however, designate 
the twins by the names of Hercules and 
Apollo, while Plutarch calls them Harpo- 
crates and Helitomemion, the sons of Isis 
and Osiris. But this sign proves pretty 
clearly the disposition of the Greeks to 
make the zodiacal symbols accord with 



Xliv PRELIMINARY 

their own mythology; and may perhaps 
tend to convince the objectors, that the 
Greeks, and not the Orientahsts, were the 
copyists. In the Sanscrit verses, to which 
I have already referred, we are told, that 
the Indians represented the sign in ques- 
tion by a damsel playing on a harp, and 
by a youth wielding a mace. The Greeks 
converted these symbols into Apollo with 
his lyre, and Hercules with his club. Now 
in the fragment of the Egyptian zodiac 
found at Rome, the sign of the Twins is 
represented by a female with a harp, and 
by a man with a mace. Is not this an 
extraordinary coincidence between the 
Indian and Egyptian zodiacs ? If the 
Indians and the Egyptians had been the • 
copyists, how came they both to change 
the form of Apollo into that of a young 
woman ? This could not have been arranged 
by agreement ; and it could hardly have 



NOTICE. Xlv 

happened by accident. I am, however, 
very well convinced, that one of the twins 
in the ancient Egyptian zodiacs was repre- 
sented by Anubis ; and in this, I think, I 
am supported, not only by one of Kircher's 
planispheres, but by the great zodiac of 
Dendera, so accurately given in the plates, 
which accompany Mr. Hamilton's travels. 
In all events, the similarity between the 
Indian zodiac and the Egyptian fragment, 
seems to prove that the Greeks copied the 
symbol of the Twins from the Orienta- 
hsts. 

4. The more ancient Egyptians placed 
Hermanubisy or " Hermes with the head of 
an ibis,"' in the sign of Cancer, In the G re- 
cian zodiacs we find the Crab, and the 
reason why that animal was stationed there 
is ingeniously given by Macrobius. But 
even this symbol appears to have been sug- 



Xlvi PRELIMINARY 

gested b}' the Egyptians. In the zodiacs 
of Dendera we find a Beetle instead of a 
Crab, and as the Beetle rolls its ball of 
dung in retrograding, it is not less a proper 
svmbol for the sim than the Crab. I must 
confess, however, that I suspect that there 
is more ingenuity than truth in the conjec- 
ture of Macrobius. 

I have likewise a great suspicion, that 
the same author has shown more imaoina- 
tion than judgment in the reasoning wliich 
he employs, when he endeavours to account 
for the position of Capricorn among the 
signs. 

5. That the history of the twelve labors 
of Hercules refers to the progress of the sun 
through the twelve signs of the zodiac is, 
I beheve, generally admitted ; but I cannot 
allowj that the lion was first placed among 



NOTICE. 



xlvii 



the zodiacal symbols, because Hercules 
was fabled to have slain the Nemean lion. 
It would seem, on the contrary, that Her- 
cules, who represented the Sun, was said to 
have slain the lion, because Leo was already 
a zodiacal sign. There are several reasons 
which induce me to think, that the Egyp- 
tians were the first, who placed the lion in 
the zodiac. The combat of Hercules with 
the lion was his first labor; and one of the 
several years of the Egyptians commenced 
at the Summer Solstice. The Grecian 
Hercules florished about 1350 years before 
our era, and consequently when, according 
to the fixed zodiac, the Summer Solstice 
accorded with Leo, Reckoning by the 
year in question, some of the Greek astro- 
nomers appear to have made Xeo, (and 
afterwards Cancer)^ the first of the signs. 
Hence it was in compliance with what they 
believed to be the mode of reckoning in 



Xlviii PRELIMINARY 

Egypt, that the Greeks made the combat 
with the Kon the first labor of Hercules. 
Theon afterwards showed them, that they 
were wrong in supposing, that the Egyp- 
tians had thus counted the signs from the 
Summer Solstice. There seems to be no 
reason why the Greeks should place a lion, 
an animal with which they could have had 
but little acquaintance, in the zodiac. The 
Egyptians had a most obvious reason. 
Diodorus Siculus (1. 3. c. 22.) mentions, 
that the lions appeared in great numbers^ 
and became extremely formidable in Ethio- 
pia, about the time of the Summer Solstice, 
and when the Nile is at its greatest eleva- 
tion. Strabo, if I recollect rightly, speaks 
to the same purpose in his sixteenth book. 
It was then extremely natural for the Egyp- 
tians to place the lion, where we find him 
in the zodiac. 



NOTICE. Xlix 

6. The Greeks have abundance of fables 
about the sign of Virgo ; but this appears 
to have been originally no other than the 
symbol of the Egyptian Isis. 

7. In the Indian zodiac, (in the Philoso- 
phical Transactions,) the sign of Libra is 
represented as by us. In Jones's Indian 
zodiac, a woman holds the balance. The 
Alexandrian zodiac is said not to have con- 
tained the balance, and its place was occu- 
pied by the Scorpion's claws. It is found, 
however, in the zodiacs of Esne and Den- 
dera. 

8. I believe, that the ancient Egyptians 
represented the eighth sign by various sym- 
bols; — sometimes by a snake, — sometimes 
by a crocodile — sometimes by a scorpion, 
&c. This last symbol is to be found on all 
the Mithraic monuments ; and it is pretty 

d 



1 



PRELIMINARY 



evident, that those monuments must have 
been constructed, when the vernal equinox 
accorded with Taurus. I am, indeed, apt 
to think, that the Mithraic monuments 
might have been constructed, when the ver- 
nal equinox accorded with Taurus^ as we 
find that constellation in the sensible zodiac. 
In all events, it appears vain to contend^ 
that the Greeks were the first, who employed 
the Scorpion as an astronomical symbol. 

9. Pococke, in his description of the East, 
has exhibited a fragment of an ancient 
Egyptian monument, on which the sign of 
Sagittarius was represented as it is by us. 
This symbol is likewise to be found in 
Jones's Indian zodiac, and in the zodiacs 
of Esne and Dendera. 

10. The most general traditions, even 
among the Greeks themselves, concerning 



NOTICE. 



li 



the sign of Capricorn, refer the origin of the 
symbol to Egypt. (Consult Hyginus, 1. ii. 
c. 29.— Theon, p. 136. — Germanicus, c. 27. 
&c.) 

1 1 . The Greeks have in vain endeavoured 
to reconcile the symbols of the eleventh 
sign to their mythology. Canohus with his 
pitcher is the evident prototype of Aquarius 
with his urn. 

12. The sign of Pisces has nothing to do 
with Grecian mythology. The Greeks 
themselves appear to refer this symbol to 
the Chaldeans. It is, however, to be found 
in Jones's Indian zodiac, and in some 
Egyptian fragments, as well as in the 
zodiacs of Esne and Dendera. (See Po- 
cocke's Description of the East- — Kircher's 
OEdipus, Vol. 3.— Hamilton's Egyptiaca^ 
&c.) 



lii 



PRELIMINARY 



1 shall conclude these remarks, which I 
have been obliged to put together more 
hastily than I could have wished, by 
observing, that the existence of the Indian 
zodiac, published in the Philosophical 
Transactions for 1772, and of the zodiac at 
Esne, are sufficient of themselves to esta- 
blish m}^ argument. It appears that the 
zodiac of Esne could not have been con- 
structed at a later period than 4700 years 
before our era, because Leo is there placed 
as an ascending sign ; and consequently 
this zodiac is, at least, 3500 years older 
than the Grecian zodiac, even if we sup- 
pose that Hercules introduced a zodiac 
into Greece. From this Ave may judge of 
the folly of talking about Eudoxus and 
Hipparchus — men who hglited their tapers 
at the embers of that nearly extinguished 
fire, of which the blaze had once illumined 
all the East. The Indian zodiac is yet 



NOTICE. 



liii 



more ancient than that of Esne. The rea- 
sons which DupuiSj whose astronomical 
knowledge was immense, has given, in order 
to show that this zodiac was constructed, 
when the Summer Solstice accorded with 
Virgo, appear to me to be quite conclu- 
sive. Now the forms, both in the Indian 
zodiac, and in that of Esne, nearly corres- 
pond with those in the Grecian zodiac. 
The sign of Virgo is represented by a 
sphinx, the symbol of Isis in the zodiac of 
Esne; and, with this exception, the Greeks 
have exhibited nearly the same symbols. 
But even here, it must be observed, that 
the figure of the Virgin, or of Isis, is to be 
found in some very ancient Egyptian 
monuments. In Jones's Indian zodiac the 
figure of Virgo announces an Egyptian 
origin. Be this as it may, the objectors to 
my theory will be puzzled to show, that the 



liv PRELIMINARY 

forms in the Gi*ecian zodiac were not copied 
from the Orientahsts; and I now boldly 
assert, that not only before the Greeks had 
a zodiac at all, but centuries before the 
Pentateuch was written, the forms and 
symbols of the Oriental zodiacs, as far as 
the twelve signs were concerned, without 
speaking of the decans and paranatellons, 
did not materially differ from those, which 
the Greeks copied into their own zodiac. 
I admit, that there were some discrepan- 
cies; but, as I have said before, these 
cannot affect my general argument. 

It only remains for me to observe, that 
in a work in which so many various lan- 
guages are employed, and in which so 
many subjects are placed in new points af 
view, as in the present work, it would be 
much too presumptuous in me to imagine, 



NOTICE. 



Ir 



that I have not occasionally fallen into 
errors. For these I shall claim the indul- 
gence of my readers ; and the more espe- 
cially as it will not be in my power to 
correct the press, or to revise the sheets. I 
am confident, indeed, that I am now in 
much safer hands, than when I was com- 
pelled by more important occupations, to 
leave the Herculanensia to the mercy of a 
Sicilian Printer, from whose edition that 
work was reprinted in England before my 
arrival, and consequently when it was not 
in my power to repair its numerous errors. 
But in spite of the well-known accuracy of 
Mr. Valpy, who has undertaken to print 
the CEdipus Judaicus^ I must expect that 
errors of the press will probably occur. 
I trust that these will be few in number, 
because I am fully aware that there are 
critics in the world, who are ever ready to 



Ivi PRELIMINARY NOTICE. 

tak6 undue and disingenuous advantage of 
every trivial fault which they can find, 
whether it proceed from the inaccuracy of 
the Author, or whether it be caused by the 
inattention of his Printer. 



ON THE 

PLATES 

ANNEXED TO THE 

CEBIPUS JUBAICUS. 



OBSERVATIONS 

ON THE 

PLATES 

ANNEXED TO THB 

CEDIPUS JUBAICUS. 



Plates I. II. TIL IV. 

The first four Plates are copied in miniature from the 
Egyptian zodiacs and planispheres exhibited by Kircher. 
To the accuracy of these^ many objections have been made, 
but Bailly has certainly repelled the most important of 
them, (Histoire de V Astronomic, p. 500.^ 



X 



OBSERVATIONS ON 



Plate V. 

This Plate represents the fragment of a zodiac foiin(f 
at Rome. Bailly mentions it in the following terms : 

M. De Fontenelle dit que ce planisphere est Egyptien 
et Grec; pour nous, nous le croyons purement Egyptien, 
et nous y reconnoitrons des traces de son Origine Indienne." 



Plate VI. 

The twelve zodiacal signs are here copied in miniature 
from the engraving of the great oblong zodiac of Dendera, 
exhibited in the plates annexed to Mr. Hamilton's jEgyp- 
tiaca. Mr. Hamilton has shown, with his usual learning, 
that the temple of Dendera was either built or repaired 
about the time of Tiberius ; but I am not quite satisfied 
with the reasons which he gives for supposing, that this 
zodiac was constructed at the same period. Mr. Hamilton 
says, that when this zodiac was constructed, the Summer 



THE PLATES ANNEXED. Ixi 

Solstice was about 2^ parts of the sign of Cancer 
removed from that of Leo. The reasons which he gives 
for thinking so may be perfectly just; but it does not 
appear from the zodiac itself, that it was constructed about 
the time of Christ. The Summer Solstice seems to be 
placed in it, Mr. Hamilton says, in Cancer, about 400 
years from Leo. But it must be remembered, that the 
stars of Gemini now occupy nearly the same space in the 
heavens, with respect to the Solstice^ which was held by 
those of Cancer £150 years ago. The Summer Solstice 
now takes place, when the Sun is in the first degree of 
Gemini. There are then about 54 degrees to reckon, in 
order to bring the Solstice back to ^ parts of Cancer 
removed from Leo. Lalande thought that this zodiac was 
constructed about the time when the Solstice was at \o* 
of Cancer ; and that astronomer, therefore, fixed its date 
about 1200 years before Christ. But Mr. Hamilton puts 
the Solstice, when this same zodiac was constructed, about 
24° or 25° of Cancer, Now if Lalande placed the date of 
the construction at 1200 years before Christ, because he 
reckoned from 15° of Cancer, Mr. Hamilton, who reckons 
the date from 24° or 25° of Cancer j ought to have placed 



Ixii 



OBSERVATIONS ON 



it more than 1800 years before the same era. Lalande^ 
however, is so far wrong. If the Solstice be marked at 
15° of Cancer, Lalande should have fixed its date about 
1350, and not 1200 years before Christ. 



Plate VIL 



In this Plate the zodiacal figures of the circular zodiac 
of Dendera are represented in miniature, from the engrav- 
ing of them in Mr. Hamilton's work ; but neither in this, 
nor in the preceding Plate, have I ventured to copy the 
forms given to the decaus and paranatellons. This would 
have required too large a Plate for my little work. 

Visconti thinks that when this zodiac was constructed, 
the Sun at the Summer Solstice was in Cancer, because 
he finds the Balance among the zodiacal forms, and this, 
he appears to believe, must have been always a symbol of 
the equinox. But it seems very doubtful to me, whether 
this proposition be true. Dupuis has fixed the date of the 
Indian zodiac, which contains the Balance, at a period 



THE PLATES ANNEXED. 



Ixiii 



when this sign could not have corresponded with the equi- 
nox. I shall presently have to show, that the same thing 
is true of the zodiac of Esne. It has been proved by 
Bailly^ that those who have contended that the Balance 
had no place among the zodiacal forms until a compara- 
tively late period_, are altogether in an error. In fact I 
find no good reason for supposing, that the Balance was 
originally intended as a symbol of the Equinox. Macro- 
bius pretended_, that Capricorn and Cancer were symbols 
of the Solstices ; but Bailly has clearly shown, that the 
reasoning of Macrobius cannot be admitted. 



Plate Vlir. 



The representation of the Zodiac of Esne is here copied 
from the celebrated French work on " Egypt," lately pub- 
lished at Paris. Mr. Hamilton admits that Leo is here de- 
picted as an ascending sign ; and though he seems afterwards 
to take alarm at the great antiquity, which he consequently 
assigns to this Zodiac, he nevertheless in the first place 
fixes its date about 4500 years ago. When I observe, that 



Ixiv 



OBSERVATIONS ON 



I myself have spoken rather loosely about dates, and 
especially in my dissertation on the 49th chapter of Gene- 
sis, I have, perhaps, little right to find fault with Mr. 
Hamilton for having done the same thing. In fact, all this 
confusion about dates, to be determined by astronomical 
observations, arises from speaking sometimes of the fixed 
and intellectual Zodiac, and sometimes of the moveable 
and sensible Zodiac. Thus, when Mr. Hamilton allows, 
that we cannot assign a less remote antiquity to the Zodiac 
of Esne, than nearly 4500 years, he evidently fixes the 
Summer Solstice, in the first degree of Cancer, where, 
however, the Solstitial colure has not really been for more 
than 2000 years. The vernal Equinox had been retro- 
grading through the constellation of Aries, and the Sum- 
mer Solstice through the constellation of Cancer, for more 
than 2000 years before the time of Eudoxus. Eudoxe, 
astronome Grec," says Bailly, rapporte que les Solstices 
et les equinoxes etoient fixes au quinzi^me degre, c'est 
d dire, au milieu du Bdlier, de I'Ecrevisse, de la Balance, 
et dii Capricorne. On verra que cette determination, 
rapportee par Eudoxe, est anterieure d son tems, et qu'elle 
remonte au siecle de Chiron, vers 1353 ans avant Jesus 



THE PLATES ANNEXED. 



Ixv 



Christ. By the same rule then, if the Zodiac of Dendera 
were formed at the time when the Summer Solstice 
answered to 1 5° of Cancer, we must fix its antiquity at about 
1353 years before Christ; and we must allow the Zodiac 
of Esne, which refers the same solstice to the I'' of Virgo j 
to be more than 3000 years more ancient than that of 
Dendera. 

It may be proper to retract an opinion, that I have given 
elsewhere, namely, that the sign of Scorpius was repre- 
sented by a crocodile in the most ancient Egyptian Zodiacs. 
Both the Scorpion and the Balance are to be found in the 
Zodiac of Esne. 

If my reader wish to ascertain the precise date of the 
Zodiac of Esne, he must consult the French work itself. 
But I think it is evident that the Solstice could not yet 
have been in Leo, which is there represented as the last of 
the ascending signs. Let us then place it in the first degree 
of Virgo. But it is at the present day in the first degree 
oi Gemini, and if, at a rough calculation, we allow 2150 
years for the retrograde motion through each celestial sign, 



Ixvi 



OBSERVATIONS ON 



we shall easily find the age of this Zodiac. In fact, the 
Autumnal equinox now corresponds with the first degree 
of Virgo ; and consequently if we find a Zodiac, in which 
the Summer Solstice was placed^ where the Autumnal 
equinox now is, that Zodiac carries us back 90 degrees on 
the ecliptic, and its date must be fixed about 6450 years 
ago. 



Plate IX. 

The Indian Zodiac represented in this Plate is thus 
mentioned by M. Dupuis. 

Le Zodiaque Indien, publie dans les Transactions 
Philosophiques de 1772, est un quadrilatere, autour 
duquel sont distribues les douze signes, de mani^re qu'aux 
quatre angles se trouvent la Vierge, le Sagittaire, les 
Poissons, et les Gemeaux; et la Vierge, repetee une 
seconde fois, se trouve encore placee au centre du cadre, 
la t^te environnee de rayons. Nous imaginons, que ce 
monument represente Fetat du ciel, dans Tage, oil 1» 



THE PLATES AISTNEXED. 



Ixvii 



Vierge occupoit le Solstice d'ete, et ou TEquinoxe de 
Printems repondoit aux Gemeaux ; position qu'ont dA 
avoir les cieux, depuis Tinvention de Tastronomie, comme 
Fa tr^s-bien fait voir Bailly ; et voici comme nous proc6- 
dons pour arriver A cette conclusion. Ceux qui plac^rent 
les douze signes dans I'ordre oil ils sont dans ce monument, 
oil il n'y a point d'Equateur^ ni d'Ecliptique, dont I'inter- 
section puisse designer un commencement du Zodiaque, 
diirent naturellement placer aux quatre angles du Quadri- 
lat^re les quatre signes, qui occupoient alors les quatre 
points cardinaux de la sphere. Ils diirent faire du signe, 
qui occupoit le Solstice d'ete, le dernier des signes ascen- 
dans, et le premier des signes descendans ; le signe du 
Solstice d'hiver dut etre 6galement le dernier des signes 
descendans, et le commencement des signes ascendans. Or, 
c'est pr6cisement la place que la Vierge et les Poissons, 
signes solstitiaux, occupent dans ce monument. Tons les 
animaux sont representes, marchant dans la m^me direction^ 
tels que le Belier, le Taureau, le Lion ; et le commence- 
ment du mouyement de haut en has se fait d la Vierge, et 
celui de bas en haut se fait aux Poissons. La Vierge est 
done le terme du mouvement du soleil en ascension, et le 



Ixviii 



OBSERVATIONS ON 



point oil il commence a descendre^ pour parcourir les 
autres signes. Elle occupe done le Solstice d ete, ou le 
trone du Soleil, et voild pourquoi elle est encore une fois 
repetee_, et placee au centre du planisphere^ comme la 
Reine des Cieux." (Dupuis, torn. 6. part 1.) To these 
observations Dupuis has added many others not less inte- 
resting, but too long for insertion here. It is evident 
that if he be right in his hypothesis, this zodiac must be at 
least as ancient as that of Esne» 



Plate X. 



This Plate can hardly be considered as interesting in any 
other point of vievv^, than as exhibiting an Indian zodiac, 
with the figures drawn obviously from no Grecian copy. 
It seems to me quite clear, that it is not of a more ancient 
date than the zodiac of Hipparchus. Its antiquity, there- 
fore, cannot recommend it to our attention. Sir W. Jones^ 
who had this zodiac engraved, was a man of most extraor- 
dinary talents. As a linguist, he seems to have had few, if 



THE PLATES ANNEXED. Ixix 



any, equals ; but I am obliged to confess, that I do, not 
exactly follow him in his notions concerning the antiquity 
of the Indian zodiac. In the treatise which he wrote on 
that subject he maintains, in opposition to M. Montucla, 
that the Indians took their zodiac neither from the Greeks, 
nor from the Arabs ; and he argues that they obtained it, 
and their knowledge of the stars, from the Chaldeans, 
about 1000, or 1200 years before the Christian era. In 
the Supplement to his Essay on Indian Chronology, Sir 
W. Jones gives us the following extract from the Hindu 
astronomer Varaha. 

" Certainly the Southern Solstice was once in the middle 
of Aslesha, the Northern in the first degree of Dhamshta, 
by what is recorded in former Sastras. At present one 
solstice is in the first degree of Carcata, and the other in 
the first of Macara, &c." 

Upon this I observe, that, according to Sir VV. Jones, 
Aslesha and Dhanishta are the Indian names of the first 
Lunar mansions in Leo and Aquarius ; and that Car cat a 
and Macara answer to the signs of Cancer and Capricorn, 



Ixx 



OBSERVATIONS ON 



It would seem, then, that Varaha lived, when the solstices 
were in the first degrees of Cancer and Capricorn, and 
when these solstices were removed by a whole sign at least 
from their places, according to the ancient Sastras. It is 
now above 2000 years since the solstices accorded with the 
first degrees of Cancer and Capricorn ; and it is more than 
double that period since they corresponded with the first 
Lunar mansions of Leo and Aquarius. It would seem to 
follow then, that Varaha lived above 2000 years ago, and 
referred to the Sun's place in the zodiac, as described 
more than 2000 years before his own time. Sir W. Jones 
does not take notice of this very simple and obvious calcu- 
lation ; and draws a very different result from the words 
of Varaha. 

" The Hindu astronomers agree," says he, that the 1st 
of January 1790 was in the year 4891 of the Calii/uga, or 
their fourth period, at the beginning of which, they say, 
the equinoctial points were in the first degrees of Mesha 
and Tula, {Aries and Libra ;) but they are also of opinion, 
that the vernal equinox oscillates from the third of Mina 
{Pisces) to the 27 th of Mesha, and back again in 7200 



THE PLATES ANNEXED. 



Ixxi 



years^ which they divide into four padas, and consequently 
that it moves_, in the two mtermedmie padaSj from the 1st 
to the 27 th of Mesha and back again, in 3600 years ; the 
colure cutting the ecliptic in the 1st of Mesha, which 
coincides with the 1st of Aswini, (1st lunar mansion in 
Aries) at the beginning of every such oscillatory period. 
Varaha, surnamed MiJdra^ or the Sun, from his knowledge 
of astronomy, and usually distinguished by the title of 
Acharya, or teacher of the Veda, lived confessedly when 
the Caliyuga was far advanced ; and since by actual obser- 
vation he found the solstitial points in the first degrees of 
Carcata and Macara, the equinoctial points were at the 
same time in the 1st of Meshu and Tula : he lived, there- 
fore^ in the year 3600 of the 4th Indian period, or 1291 
years before the 1st of January 1790, that is, about the 
year 499 of our era, &:c," 

All the reasoning, which the very learned author here 
employs, is founded on the calculations of the modern 
Hindu astronomers. But what is to be said of the calcu- 
lations of astronomers, who place the equinoctial points at 
the beginning of their Caliyuga^ nearly 5000 years ago. 



Ixxii 



OBSERVATIONS ON 



in the first degrees of Mesha and Tula {Aries and Libra 
and who talk of the oscillation of the vernal equinox from 
the 3d of Mina (Pisces) to the 27th of Mesha (Aries), 
and back again ; and who make the colure cut the ecliptic 
in the 1st of Mesha, at the beginning of each such oscilla- 
tory period? Sir W. Joiies says^ that Varaha found the 
solstitial points hy actual observation in the first degrees 
of Carcata and Macara, or Cancer and Capricorn. It is 
utterly impossible, if he really did so, that he could have 
lived 499 years after Christ : on the contrary, he must 
have lived nearly 400 years before our era, when the sol- 
stices were in the first degrees of Cancer and Capricorn. 

But it may be said, that Varaha calculated like the 
modern Hindu astronomers ; and that at the commence- 
ment of each oscillatory period he brought the colure to 
cut the ecliptic in the first degree of Aries; and having 
done this, he was compelled to make a similar arrange- 
ment for the solstices. Varaha^ however, says nothing of 
the kind, and only afiirms that in his time the solstices 
corresponded with the first degrees of Carcata and Macara, 



THE PLATES ANNEXED. Ixxiil 



but that^ according to former Sastras, they were once in 
Aslesha and in Dhankhta, 

But even admitting, that VaraJia taught this strange 
doctrine of an oscillating equinox^ it is evident that it was 
unknown in the time when the Sastras to which he refers 
were written. The modern astronomers of India, it seems, 
make the vernal equinox oscillate from the 3d degree of 
Pisces, to the £7th of Aries,, and back again. The Sum- 
mer solstice, then^ ought to oscillate from the 3d degree 
of Gemini to the 27th of Cancer and back again ; and this 
state of things has existed since the commencement of the 
Calii/uga, nearly 5000 years ago. If then the ancient 
Hindu astronomers, who were the authors of the Sastras, 
mentioned by Varaha, had had the same system with the 
modern astronomers of India, they never could have placed 
the Summer solstice, since the commencement of the 
Caliyuga, in the first degree of Leo, because the limits of 
the oscillation of this solstice are the 3d of Ge?nini on one 
side, and the 27th of Cancer on the other. 



Ixxiv OBSERVATIONS ON 



Varaha says positively, that the Summer solstice is 
recorded in the ancient Sastras to have corresponded with 
Aslesha, or with the first degree of Leo, It is a fact, 
that since the commencement of the Calii/uga, the Sum- 
mer solstice has corresponded with the first degree of Leo, 
This must have happened about the 700th year of the 
Caliyuga, or about 4300 years ago ; and I must conse- 
quently conclude, that the observation was made at that 
period by the authors of the Sastras, 

I have shown, that the authors of the Sastras could 
not have had the same system with the more modern 
Hindu astronomers ; and I now pretend, that since they 
had not the same system, it seems vain to make the 
modern system the basis of our reasoning with respect to 
the ancient. The ancient astronomers marked the Sum- 
mer solstice in the sign of Leo. It was actually there 
4S00 years ago. The modern astronomers make the 
vernal equinox to oscillate from the 3d degree of Pisces 
to the 27th of Aries j and back again, for a period of 
7200 yearS; of which they say nearly 5000 years are 



THE PLATES ANNEXED. IxxV 

elapsed. But each solstitial point must invariably be at 
the distance of 90° from each equinoctial point. Then 
the Summer solstice can never have corresponded with the 
1st degree of Leo for the last 5000 years, according to 
the modern Hindu system. How then shall we apply any 
calculations made by the more modern astronomers of 
India, to the observations of their ancient progenitors, 
who have left records of the position of the Summer 
solstice having been in the first degree of Leo ? 



Plates XI. XII. XIII. 

These Plates represent the Mithraic astronomical monu- 
ments as they are exhibited by Hyde (Hist. Rel. vet. Pers. 
p. 113.) and which evidently refer to a time, when Virgil 
might have truly said, 

Candidus auratis aperit cum cornibus ammm 
Taurus." 

" L'equinoxe," says Bailly, n'a pu repondre au der- 
nier degre du Taureau que vers 4600 ans avant Jesus 



Ixxvi 



OBSERVATIONS ON 



Christ/' The Mithraic monuments appear to have been 
constructed while the vernal equinox corresponded with 
Taurus, — the Summer solstice with Leo, &c. For fur- 
ther information concerning these monuments, my reader 
ma}' consult Kircher's CEdipus, Vol. i. p. 216. and Hyde, 
in loco citato. But in order that I may satisfy those, who 
cannot immediately refer to Kircher and Hyde^ I shall 
transcribe one sentence from the latter. D. Hieronymus 
per portentosa simulacra (words employed by St. Jerome 
in speaking of the cave of Mithras, and its sculptured 
images) videtur intelligere solem in duodecim signis secun- 
dum singula Dodecatemoria, quae (inquam) videntur fuisse 
ex supellectili antri Mithraici. This is sufficient to show, 
that I do not call these monuments astronomical upon my 
own authority. But if they be astronomical, it is clear, 
that they refer to a time when the Bull really did open the 
year, as the bare inspection of them is sufficient to prove. 

1 have ventured to suggest, in my Dissertation on the 
49th chapter of Genesis, that these, or similar simulacra, 
must have been familiar to the mind of Jacob. In the sym- 



THE 



PLATES 



ANNEXED. 



Ixxvii 



bolical language which he addresses to Joseph, I think, he 
makes a direct allusion to them. 

I have directed my engraver to alter the attitude of one of 
the figures, (in Plate 13) whose action, however^ may still 
be understood. The ancients were not offended with such 
representations as those, which are found on the Mithraic 
monuments, because they considered them as merely sym- 
bolical ; but the moderns entertain very different notions 
concerning these things, and it is needless to shock delicacy, 
even where we may think it more fastidious than is 
necessary. 

I have placed Succoth Benothj the hen and chickens, 
in the 11th plate. For further information concerning this 
symbol of the Fleiades, my reader may consult Selden, 
de Dts Syris, and the Pantheon Hehraorum, The repre- 
sentation, which I have given, is copied from Kircher ; 
but the Syro-Chaldean words in his plate are nearly illegi- 
ble. I have written them out distinctly. As, however, 
the^ letters are extremely ill-formed in the original, I will 
not answer for having restored the true reading. The 



Ixxviii 



OBSERVATIONS ON 



Syro-Chaldean is a jargon ; but still as I have written out 
the words, thej will be understood by any person who can 
read the language. As the characters are placed in Kir- 
cher's edition, there are manifestly false readings. 

1 have also copied the figure of an Indian God, as it is 
given in the 2oth plate of Moor's Pantheon. This is so 
exactly the form of the Egyptian Ammon^ that_, I think, 
the resemblance, if not the identity, must be evident. 



Plate XIV. 

The 12 signs, wath the Sun, copied from the Indian 
zodiac, exhibited in the valuable Pantheon of Mr. Moor. 

I think this zodiac extremely interesting ; for though I 
imagine the picture in Colonel Stuart's possession to be 
modern, yet I am of opinion, that the painter must have 
generally copied it from some very ancient monument. 
The Persian names may have been written by the modern 



THE PLATES ANNEXED. 



Ixxix 



artist; and even the cosfwme of some of the figures may 
have been changed. From the position, however, of 
Suriya, or the Sun, the original may be supposed to be of 
not less ancient date than that exhibited in the Philosophical 
Transactions. Suriya is seated in a chariot drawn by 
seven horses, which are probably emblematical of the seven 
planets. But Suriya has his back turned to Virgo, whence 
we may suppose, that the solstitial point corresponded 
with that sign^ when the zodiac was originally constructed. 



Plate XV. 

In this Plate a miniature copy is given of the Camp of 
the Hebrews, slightly altered from Kircher's edition of it. 
The reasons which have induced me to make these changes 
are stated in different parts of my work. 

It may be necessary for me to observe here, that when 
I wrote my Dissertation on the 49th chapter of Genesis^ 
I did not perceive so fully, as I do at present, the truth, 



Ixxx 



OBSERVATIONS ON 



or importance^ of the system, which I have since adopted. 
I have consequently spoken with less attention to some 
astronomical facts than I should have done. Thus I have 
said, that astronomy was first cultivated in the East, when 
the Summer solstice answered to Leo. That this is a 
mistake, and that we ought to carry the origin of astronomy 
to a much more remote period, must be evident from the 
monuments, which I have been considering. There are 
also some other little errors of expression in the Disserta- 
tion, which, I trust, my candid readers will impute 
to my ignorance of the necessity of employing more 
precise and scientific language. I had almost uncon- 
sciously touched a part of a system ; and I consequently 
did not suspect, that that part was connected with others, 
forming altogether the great whole, which has since 
opened on my view. When we speak of astronomical 
subjects, we too often employ a familiar language, which 
does not strictly in most instances, and which does not at 
all in others, correspond with the truth. I believe, that 
in a few examples I have been guilty of this sort of negli- 
gence J but I hope in veiy few, indeed, where it can be 



THE PLATES ANNEXED. 



Ixxxi 



essential to my general argument. I must expect, how- 
ever^ that every advantage will be taken of every error 
which has escaped my pen. 

• There seems to me to be no doubt, that some changes 
were made in the arrangement of the standards of the 
tribes. I have as little doubt, that when Moses established 
the standards of Judah, Reuben, Ephraim, and Dan, as 
the principal ones in the camp of the Hebrews, that he 
did so rather in compliance with the prejudices of the 
people, than with his own judgment. The same thing 
must have influenced him in the choice of the cherubic 
heads. The solstitial and equinoctial points had ceased to 
answer to the Lion, to the Man with the pitcher, to the 
Bull, and to the Scorpion, for several centuries before the 
time of Moses. But the superstition of the people seems 
to have prevailed, and the ancient traditions confirmed the 
ignorant populace in all their notions. 



Ixxxii 



OBSERVATIONS &C. 



Plate XVI. 

It has been objected to me, that in my Dissertation on 
the 49th chapter of Genesis, I have so often appealed to 
Hyginus, Columella, and other writers, for the rising and 
setting of the constellations, instead of referring to the 
time when Jacob died. My answer to this is very simple; 
we know pretty exactly the time when the above-men- 
tioned writers lived ; but I avow, I do not know precisely 
when Jacob died. If, however, any person has fixed that 
period to his own satisfaction, he will easily find the times 
of the rising and setting of the constellations by the help of 
his globe. In the mean time the reader may arrange the 
decans and paranatellons for each of the standards upon the 
plan, which I have given for that of Judah in this plate. 

The paranatellons are represented on the standard, as 
the Jews, Egyptians, Persians, and Orientalists, have 
described them ; and the correspondence of the symbols 
with Jacob's words appears very remarkable. 



3 




1 



1 



■4 




7 





T.£a.vte7- oc 




T.Bcucder sc. 



DISSERTATION 

ON THE 

FORTY-NINTH CHAPTER 

OF 

GENESIS. 



This Essay is printed in the sixth Number of 
the Classical^ Biblical, and Oriental 
Journal^ (a Quarterly Publication) with some 
few alterations. 



ON THE 



FORTY-NINTH CHAPTER OF GENESIS. 



J EHOVAH appears to have selected Abraham and 
his posterity from the rest of mankind, for the 
purpose of preserving among them the knowledge 
of the true religion ; but this knowledge, it would 
seem from the 6th chapter of Exodus^ was not 
bestowed on the Patriarchs in all its plenitude. 

And Elohim spake unto Moses, and said unto 
him, I Am Jehovah; and I appeared unto Abraham, 
unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of El 
Shadaiy but by my name Jehovah was I not known 
unto them." The meaning is, that the true import 

A 



2 



of the word was not explained to the Patriarchs ; 
for had they understood it, they would have known 
that there was no God but Jehovah, Now that 
Jacob did not possess this knowledge is evident 
from his words: — " And Jacob vowed a vow, 
saying, if Elohim will be with me, and will keep 
me in this way that I go, and will give me bread 
to eat, and raiment to put on, so that I come 
again to my father's house in peace, then shall 
Jehomh be my God." No man, who entertained 
just ideas of the existence of the Deity, could have 
thought of making such a bargain with Omnipotence; 
nor if Jacob had comprehended the name of 
Jehomh,^ would he have fancied, that he might 



' Jehovah implies the Supreme Being, or the Being xar 
i^ox^v. It has been absurdly pretended by some of the Pagan 
writers, that the Jews worshipped their God under the form 
of an Ass in the temple of Jerusalem. In order to support 
this idle fable, they remark, on the authority of Apiou, who 
was an Egyptian, that mn», which without the Masorah 
answers to the letters IHVH, signified an Ass. They say, that 
Jehovah was pronounced JAO, or lEO, and that this meant 
an Ass in Egyptian. They further remark, thft we continually 
meet with Pi-Jao (mn> ♦s. Phi Jehovah) the mouth of the 



3 



choose the God, whom he should adore. We must 
not be surprised, then, if we find traces of idolatry 
in the early history of the house of Israel: — if 
Rachel stole the Teraphim from her father Laban ; 
— and if Jacob hid the strange Gods of his 
household under the oak of Sechem, 

But since it appears from the Bible itself, that 
the Patriarchs were not acquainted with the divine 
nature in the same degree with Moses, and that they 
were not absolutely untinctured with polytheism, 
it cannot appear extraordinary, that they were 
influenced by minor superstitions, and that, with all 
their neighbours, they were addicted to divination 
and astrology. We know, that Joseph was a 
diviner; and there are many circumstances from 
which we may conclude, that Jacob was an astro- 
loger. The streaked rods which were set up by 



Lord: Thus repeatedly in the ninth chapter of Numbers we 
find mn* '3 hv, which is translated, " at the commandment 
of the Lord and it is pretended that Pi, or Phi, is nothing 
else than the Egyptian article, and that, therefore mn» »3 
should be rendered the ass. The absurdity of this reasoning 
needs not to be pointed out. 



4 



the latter, in order to produce the breeding of the 
cattle, seem to have been formed in imitation of 
the rod which is held by the man, who occupied 
the sign of the Balance in the Egyptian zodiac, 
and who presided in the kingdom of Omphtha 
over 'flocks and herds. It appears from Eusebius,* 
that tradition, at least, represented Israel as 
an astrologer, who believed himself under the 
influence of the planet Saturn. Even at this day, 
the three great stars in Orion are called Jacob's 
staff, and the milky way is familiarly termed 
Jacob's ladder. This Patriarch had twelve sons, 
and tradition has allotted to each a sign of the 
zodiac. Kircher and Dupuis have pretended that 
the emblems, which were painted on the standards 
of the tribes in the camp of the Hebrews, were no 
other than the zodiacal signs ; and Dupuis has 
endeavoured to corroborate this opinion, by the 
references which he has made to the 49th chapter 
of Genesis. 

I have to lament that Kircher, with all his 
Oriental learning; and Dupuis, with all his 



' Praep. Evang. L. iv. C. l6. 



5 



astronomical knowledge, should have so very 
briefly examined this curious question, as to leave 
it little elucidated by their vague and cursory 
observations ; and I have to regret this the more, 
that after having read the 49th chapter of Genesis 
in the original Hebrew, I cannot doubt, that the 
prophecies which it contains, are all couched under 
astronomical symbols. It seems, indeed, extremely 
natural, that Jacob, who lived in times when 
mankind were almost universally addicted to 
astrology, should typify the future fortunes of his 
family by allusions to the celestial bodies. 

Before I proceed, however, to analyse the 
chapter immediately under consideration, it may 
be proper to remark, that there is every reason 
to suppose, that the twelve signs of the zodiac 
were really painted on the standards of the twelve 
tribes of Israel. Aben Ezra reports, that accord- 
ing to the traditions, the figure of a man was 
painted on the ensign of Reuben, that of a bull on 
the ensign of Ephraim, that of a lion on the ensign of 
J udah, and that of an eagle on the ensign of Dan. 
If w e turn to the Targum of Jonathan Ben Uzziel, 
we shall find that the lion is still ascribed to Judah, 



6 



but that the bull is given to Reuben, the man to 
Ephraim, and a basilisk, instead of an eagle, to 
Dan. The captains of these tribes were each the 
leader of a host, and a host was composed of three 
tribes. Thus Issachar and Zebulon were associated 
with Judah on the eastern side of the camp — - 
Simeon and Gad with Reuben, on the south — 
Manasseh and Benjamin with Ephraim on the 
west — and Asher and Naphtali with Dan on the 
north. Now the man, the bull, and the lion, 
evidently answer to the signs Aquarius, TauruSy 
and Leo, The basilisk may have been substituted 
for Scorpius, and the eagle appears to have been 
adopted as the symbol of that sign, which being 
deemed accursed, was rejected, if we can trust 
to Kircher, by the tribe of Dan. But one of the 
most remarkable passages to this purpose is to be 
found in the Chaldaic paraphrase^ of the 6th 
chapter of the Song of Solomon. After a curious 
description of the precious stones on the breast- 
plate of the priests, the paraphrase proceeds — 
These 12 stones, zvhich were typical of the 12 celes- 
tial signs, were lucid like to lamps, S^x. Thus we 
see, that the notion of the signs of the zodiac 
having been painted on the standards of Israel is 



7 



not quite without foundation; and it will be 
strongly confirmed, when we come to examine the 
2nd chapter of Numbers, which I propose to do 
in a succeeding dissertation. I shall now endea- 
vour to illustrate my system by laying before my 
readers an analysis of the 49th chapter of Genesis. 

I. Jacob, upon his death-bed, having called his 
sons around him, in order to tell them that which 
should befal them in the last days, thus addresses 
himself to Reuben his eldest son: — " Reuben, thou 
art my first-born, my might, and the beginning of 
my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the 
excellency of power: unstable as water, thou 
shalt not excel ; because thou wentest up to thy 
father's bed ; then defiledst thou it : he went up to 
my couch." 

According to Aben Ezra, the figure of a man 
was painted on the ensign of Reuben ; and this 
man is supposed by Kircher to have been Aqua- 
rius, In fact we find, that Jacob calls Reuben 
his first-born, the beginning of his strength, &c. 
and these epithets apply very well to the Sun in 



8 



the commencement of his course,* after he has 
passed the winter solstice. The sign of Aquat ius 
is typified by a man with a pitcher, whence he 
pours forth water. Reuben is said to be unstable 
as water. It is then remarked, that he shall not 
excel, because he went up to his father's bed ; 
and we are thus reminded, that he had lain with 
Bilhah. The Oriental astronomers, and among 
others, Ulug Beig, still designate a remarkable 
asterism in the sign of Aquarius, by the name of 
Bula, or Bulha, This asterism rises, while the 
sun is yet in Capricorn, which is the domicile of 
Saturn, the star of Israel; and it sets towards the 
end of July, when Aquarius sets also with his 
head foremost, and when the ancients fabled, that 
he had made the Nile to overflow, by kicking down 
his urn. I know not, whether my reader will 
think that these circumstances, which have hitherto 
escaped observation, will tend, or not, to confirm 
the notions of Kircher and Dupuis. 



' My reader will take into account the time when Jacob 
lived, or at least when the book of Genesis was written. Co- 
lumella fixes the Winter Solstice at the 24th of December, 
and the next day the Sun w^as feigned to be bora anew. 



9 



11. Simeon and Levi are brethren: 

Kircher has allotted the sign of Pisces to these 
brothers, but without giving any reason for the 
conjecture. I shall endeavour to supply the 
deficiency. 

Simeon and Levi are brethren. 

In the astrological calendar, at the first degree 
of the first decan of Pisces, we find the following 
words; — Duo viri unum caput hahentes. 

Instruments of cruelty are in their habitations. 

All the constellations, which are considered as 
noxious, are seen above the horizon, while the sun 
is in Pisces. It is then that Sagitta rises, that 
Scorpius, according to Columella, begins to set, 
accompanied with tempests ; and that Andromeda, 
not yet delivered by Perseus, regards the monster 
that threatens to devour her. But this is not all ; 
the descent of Pisces is fixed by Columella, for 
the fourteenth of the Ides of October, and conse- 



10 



quently their disappearance was the prelude to the 
passage of the Sun into the sign of Scorpius, when 
the terrible reign of Typhon commenced. No 
sign appears to have been considered of more 
malignant influence than Pisces ; and it appears 
from the astrological calendar, that the emblems 
accompanying this constellation were chiefly indi- 
cative of death and violence. Thus we read in 
the second decan, 

Vir in aquam mergens, 

Duo equites confligentes^ 

Vir gladio se transverberans, 8^c, 

and in the third, 

Mulier, *viro donnienti, caput securi amputat. 
8sc. 

O my soul, come not into their secret! 

1 am inclined to think that TD does not signify 
a secret, but a fetter or shackle. It will be recol- 
lected, that the fishes are united by a bond, or 
shackle, which the Greek astronomers called some- 
times Amv, and sometimes ^'tivSso-ju.o^. 



11 

Unto their assembly my honor he not thou 
united ! 

The word mo, which is here translated honor, 
denotes in its primitive sense the action of light 
in irradiation. The Patriarch seems to say, in 
the language of astrology under which he veiled 
his prophecies, — let not the light of my star be 
united to their constellation. 

For in their anger they slew a man. 

Jacob seems to attribute all the effects produced 
by the rising of Scorpius to the descent of Pisces. 
In fact, we have already observed, that the latter 
sign must descend before the former rises, and we 
shall probably find reason to think, that the ancient 
astrologers connected all the disasters of the 
Typhonian kingdom with the setting of the 
sign of Pisces, Columella fixes the passage of 
the sun into Scorpius on the thirteenth of the 
calends of November. We shall find, that this 
period, then, nearly corresponds with that in which 
Osiris was feigned to have been slain by Typhon, 
and when the death of Orion was attributed to the 
sting of the scorpion. The brilliant constellation 



12 



of Orion sets shortly after the descent of Pisces, 
and immediately after the rising of Scorpius. 

And in their self-will they digged doxvn a wall. 

This interpretation rests upon the authority of 
Jerome ; but I conceive it to be erroneous, and I 
appeal against it to the Septuagint, the Samaritan 
copy, and to the Hebrew itself I translate — in 
their self-will they castrated a bull. Now the 
Oriental astronomers represent Scorpius as devour- 
ing the genitals of Taurus ; and, indeed, the stars 
called testiculi Tauri set precisely when Scorpius 
rises. 

Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and 
their wrath, for it was cruel. 

I shall not trouble my reader with the fables 
which are told by the ancients, to account for 
the Pisces having been placed among the constel- 
lations. It suffices to say, upon the authority of 
Plutarch and other writers, that both the Syrians 
and Egyptians abstained from eating fish, which 
they seem to have held in singular dread and 



13 



abhorrence ; and Plutarch tells us, that when the 
Egyptians had to represent any thing as odious, 
or to express hatred by hieroglyphics, they painted 
a fish. 

I will divide them in Jacobs and scatter them in 
Israel, 

His standard was taken from Levi, and his tribe 
was divided in the camp of the Hebrews. We 
may observe, that the two zodiacal fishes neither 
rise nor set together, and that Piscis Australis 
might have been confounded with the zodiacal 
Pisces, Indeed, we find in some of the ancient 
zodiacs, that only one fish is represented. 



III. Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall 
praise. Thy hand shall be upon the neck of all 
thine enemies ; thy father's children shall bow 
down before thee. 

According to all the traditions, a lion was 
painted on the standard of Judah; and I can 



14 



have no hesitation in agreeing with Kircher, that 
the sign of Leo was thereby indicated. " Thou 
art he," says the text " whom thy brethren shall 
praise." While Taurus was the first of the signs, 
the summer solstice took place when the sun was 
in Leo ; and at that season of his highest elevation, 
the Sun was held in the greatest honor. The 
annual festival of the Egyptians upon this occasion 
is mentioned by several authors, and among 
others by Heliodorus in his ninth book. " Thy 
hand shall be on the neck of all thine enemies." 
The Sun in Leo was adored by the Egyptians as 
the King, Osiris; by the Syrians as the Lord, 
Adonis; by the Tyrians diS Melech-arets, King of 
the earth ;" and by the Greeks as Hercules, van- 
quisher of the Nemean lion. Thy fathers 
children shall bow down before thee." The sun 
being at his greatest altitude in Leo, the brothers 
of Judah are said to bow down before him. In 
the Indian sphere, in the second decan of the 
sign of Leo, a man is represented with a crown 
on his head, and a lance in his hand. 

Judah is a lioris whelp : from the prey, my soriy 
thou art gone up ; he stooped down^ he couched as 



15 



a lioUy and as an old lion ; who shall rouse him 
up? 

The progress of the Sun through the sign of 
Leo, which, according to Aratus^ was represented 
as a couching lion, is here clearly typified. 

The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor 
a lawgi'ver from between his feet, until Shiloh 
come ; and unto him shall the gathering of the 
people be. 

The constellation of Cepheus, King of Ethiopia, 
is still represented as a man with a crown on his 
head, and with a sceptre in his hand. This 
constellation rises, according to Columella, on the 
7th of the Ides of July. Thus Cepheus in the 
course of some days comes to rise under Leo, of 
which it continues to be the paratanellon until the 
Sun enters into the sign of Scorpius, 

The word, ppHD, which we translate, a lawgiver^ 
is shown by Bochart to be a corruption of pn 
hi/k, which was the old Ethiopian word for a 
ICing* We may then suppose, with some appear- 



16 



ance of reason, that Hyk was the ancient Ethiopian 
and Egyptian name for the constellation of 
Cepheus, or King of Ethiopia. It has been said, 
that the Egyptians were not acquainted with the 
constellation of Cepheus; but it is probable, that 
they only did not recognize it under that name.' 
The Arabians call it Keiphus and Chdc. The 
former of these names is evidently a corruption 
from the Greek, but the latter seems to be derived 
from Hyk, which should be pronounced chyk, with 
a strong guttural. But ppHD mehukek, ^^a lawgiver," 
being derived from Hyk, or rather perhaps being 
a corruption of this Ethiopian word, I cannot help 
thinking, that some allusion is made in the text 
to the constellation called the King of Ethiopia, 
which being seen very low in the northern hemis- 
phere, when the Sun is in Leo, may be figuratively 
said to be under the feet of the lion.^ Jacob 



* The Jews were certainly acquainted with this constel- 
lation, which affords another reason for supposing that it 
could not be unknown to the Egyptians. 

* It is to be recollected, that Leo at this time of the year 
is merged in the sun's rays. The King with the sceptre, 
therefore, rises under the Lion, while the latter is not vbible. 



17 



thus distinctly says, the constellation represented 
hy a King hearing a sceptre^ shall not cease to he 
the paranatellon of the Lion, which is the sign of 
Judah, until Shiloh come. 

It remains to be inquired, what is meant by 
Shiloh. The answer in a sacred sense is obvious ; 
but there is also an astronomical allusion. The 
King with the sceptre sets about the time that 
Scorpius rises, and then ceases to be the parana- 
tellon of the Lion. In Scorpius are two stars, 
which the Oriental astronomers call Sshulet ; 
and the brightest of these is named Shuleh, 

Binding his foal unto the "vine, and his ass's colt 
unto the choice vine. 

In the first decan of the sign Leo in the Persian 
sphere, I find the head of a horse, and the head 
of an ass. 

In the second decan of the Persian sphere ( Si)^ 
I find the middle of the horse and ass advanced; 
and in the third decan their huid parts. 



B 



18 



At the sixth and ninth degrees of the second 
decan (^) in the astrological calendar, formed 
from Egyptian monuments, I read the words, 

As'mus franatus 

Vir Jrceno equum trahens. 

In the last volume of Kircher's (Edipus, my 
reader will see the representation of an old 
Egyptian lamp, on which Silenus is drawn mounted 
on the head of an ass, which is girt round with 
grapes and vine leaves. Osiris, as we learn from 
Herodotus, w^as the same with Bacchus. His 
station was in Leo^ and it is of him that TibuUus 
says, 

Hie docuit temram palls adjungere viteniy 
Hie mridem dura cc^dere fake comam ; 

Illijueundos primum matura sapores 
Eipressa incultis urn dedit pedibus, 

I believe, in all symbols of the physical 
world, where the operation of necessary causes 
is meant to be indicated, that bonds are chosen 
as the proper hieroglyphic. We have seen from 
indubitable evidence, that a horse, and an ass, 



19 



were introduced into the ancient Oriental repre- 
sentations of the sign of Leo ; and when Jacob 
says, " binding his foal unto the vine, and his 
ass's colt unto the choice vine," I conclude, 
that he alludes to the necessary influence of the 
sun in Leo^ in ripening the fruits of the earth. 
This, indeed, is evident from his concluding words, 
in his address to Judah. He washed his garments 
in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes: 
his eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white 
with milk. The passage is well paraphrased by 
Onkelos : Of fine purple shall be his raiment ; 
splendid, and of various hues shall be his tabernacle: 
his mountains shall be ixddened with grapes ; his 
hills shall distil his wines ; and his fields shall be 
whitened with corn, and with his fiocks of sheep. 
The writer is clearly speaking of the Sun, when 
he clothes the skies with lire, ripens the grapes, 
and turns the color of the corn. 

IV. Zebulon shall dzvell at the haven of the 
sea ; and he shall be for a haven for ships. 

The standard of Zebulon, according to Kirchefj 
ought to have represented the sign of Capricorn, M. 



20 



Dupuis has adopted the same notion; but his reason 
for admitting it is certainly of no great weight. 
I must suppose, that Kircher had found some 
tradition on the subject; for, after a tedious exa- 
mination, I am inclined to agree with him, though 
he has not given the slightest intimation, why he 
has referred this sign to Zebulon. 

I ought, however, in the first place, to remark, 
that instead of a hamn for ships^ we should read 
a hamn for a ship. A masculine noun ending 
in and assuming a feminine form in the singular, 
takes r\ final rather than n. Thus n''^^^ is the 
regular feminine singular of "^ytk, though sometimes 
written — T]'^y^, In the plural the regular form is 
J^V:3^^. (Is. c. ii. V. 16.) We shall then translate, 
a haxien for a ship. The ship A^^go is one of the 
most remarkable of the constellations. It will be 
found that this ship descends under the horizon, 
when the Sun is in the sign of Capricorn,^ But 
Hyginus will explain the matter better; — Capri- 
cornus exoriens hcec sidera ad terram prernere 
mdetur ; reliquam jiguram Nams et signum, S^c. 



' The rudder and the pilot ( Canohus ) are visible in Egypt. 



21 



This seems to indicate why Zebulon is called a 
kav€7i for a ship* 

And his border shall be unto Zidon, (Tsidon ), 

When we examine the countries belonging to the 
tribe of Zebulon, and to tlie Zidonians, we shall 
find, that they did not border upon each other. 
The allusion, therefore, seems to be astronomical 
rather than geographical. iTiJ tsidon, may be 
translated the great hunter; and this probably 
was Arcitenens, or Sagittarius, who occupies the 
sign next to that of Capricorn, and whom the 
Greeks fabled to have been originally a famous 
hunter of the name of Crotus. 

V. Issachar is a strong ass couching down 
hetzveen two burdens, 

Kircher allots the sign of Cancer to Issachar ; 
and Dupuis makes the following short remark 
upon the subject : Le Cancer, ou sont les etoiles 
appellees les anes, forme Vempreinte du pamllon 
d' Issachar que Jacob assimile a Vane. I am upon 



^2 



the whole inclined to agree with these authors. 
The ass was the emblem of Typhon, and we learn 
from Plutarch, that in the month Payni, when 
the Sun is in the sign of Cancer, the Egyptians 
baked cakes, on which an ass was represented as 
bound. The Greeks, whose fables on the subject 
it would be useless to repeat, placed two asses in 
the sign of Cancer, where they still remain under 
that designation ; and near to them we find the 
asterism called Prcesepe, or the Manger, Now 
it will be observed, that the Hebrew words 
Xyrm}^r\ rn ynn, should not be translated couch- 
ing down between two burdens, but two partitions, 
such as separate the stalls in a stable. 

And he saw that rest was good, and the land 
that it was pleasant ; and bowed his shoulder to 
bear, and became a serxmnt unto tribute. 

We shall probably be struck with surprise, when 
we find in the astrological calendar, taken from 
the Egyptians, the singular mixture which is there 
exhibited of rest and labor, of indolence and 
activity, in the three decans of Cancer. Out of 
the thirty emblems I shall select the following: 



S3 

Mulieres duce ofiosce. 

Duo viri stantes coram duabus mulieribus 

sedentibus. 
Virgo stans otiosa virum expectando. 
Mulier dextra fusum tenens, 
Navis stans in aqua* 
Vir spolium humeris portans. 
Puer sedens, 
Mulier stans otiosa, 
Canis sedens in curru, 
Vir stans otiosus. 
Aqua profluens. 
Equus equam insiiiens. 
Equus liber mgans in campestribus. 
Aqua jiuens ex montibus, 
Equus frcenatus. 
Namsjluitans in aquis. 

In the account of the Indian sphere I find these 
words at the third decan of Cancer, 



Homo cogitans navem inscenderc navigandi 
causa, ad importandum aurum et argentum^ 
annulis uxorum ejus fabricandis. 



£4 



Issachar found that rest was good, but he bowed 
his shoulder to the burden, and became a servant 
unto tribute; and it is said in the 33d chapter of 
Deuteronomy, that Zebulon and Issachar shall 
suck of the abundance of the seas, and of the 
U'easures hid in the sands.' 



VI. Da7i shall judge his people as 07ie of the 
tiubes of Israel Dan shall he a serpent by the 
way^ an adder in the path; that hiteth the 
horses heels, so that his rider shall fall backwards. 

We have seen, that Jonathan, in his Targum, 
pretends that a basilisk was painted on the 



' There seems to be something ambiguous in the original, 
as if an allusion were made to moisture or liquefaction. It 
was at the summer solstice, that the Nile came to its height: 
but I find this curious circumstance. The name of Issachar 
is formed oflDt!^ with 2i jod appellative. In Buxtorfs 
Chaldaic Lexicon, the reader will find that this was the 
ancient name for a species of hawk. Now in the old Egyptian 
Zodiacs the sign of Cancer was represented by the Ibis, a 
species of hawk, 



standard of Dan, and that Aben Ezra asserts, 
that it was an eagle. Kkcher and Dupuis both 
concur in thinking, that Scorpius was the sign 
allotted to Dan; and, I trust, I shall be able to 
corroborate their opinion by proofs, of which they 
either had no knowledge, or which they have 
neglected to adduce. 

Scorpius was considered by the ancient astrolo- 
gers as a sign accursed. The Egyptians fixed the 
entrance of the Sun into Scorpius as the commence- 
ment of the reign of Typhon, when the Greeks 
also fixed the death of Orion, and the Persians the 
emasculation of the bull. 

Kircher tells us that the Scorpion was refused 
by the tribe of Dan ; but I am inclined to think, 
that that sign was originally represented by another 
emblem, both by the Jews and by the Egyptians. 
Most certainly the crocodile was an emblem of 
Typhon. and the Greeks may have changed the 
form of the crocodile into that of the scorpion. 
Be this as it may, the dreaded emblem was to be 
aypided, and Dan made choice either of the 



26 



Basilisk, or of the Eagle. Now the Eagle, or 
Vulture, with the lyre, rises with the first part of 
Sagittarius, and is to be considered as a para- 
natellon of Scorpius ; and Coluber (the Adder) is 
placed on the Scorpion's back. But I am inclined 
to think, that the Eagle, or Vulture, was com- 
monly assumed as the ensign of Dan. There are 
four great stars in opposite points of the heavens — • 
Fomalhaut, which is in the head oiPiscis Australis, 
may be said to belong to Aquarius —Aldebaran, 
which is in the front of Taurus, is called his eye, 
though in the ancient representations of the sign, 
it was at a little distance from his head — Regulus, 
which is in the middle of Leo, is frequently called 
cor Leonis — and Antares, which is in the middle 
of Scorpius, is denominated cor Scorpii. The Ori- 
entalists were much occupied with these four stars, 
which had formerly answered to the Solstitial and 
Equinoctial points. But Antares is found in the 
midst of the accursed constellation. It was, 
therefore, natural for Dan to look out for another 
brilliant star, and to choose a constellation for his 
ensign, which might not be affected by the evil 
influence of Scorpius, In the Eagle, or Vulture, 



27 



shines the large star called Asengue ; and it proba- 
bly helped to direct him to choose the constellation, 
in which he found it. 

Dan, it is said, shall be a serpent by the way, 
an adder in the path. 

Close to Scorpius, and by the Zodiac, which is 
the solar way, we find the Adder, which is called 
Coluber, or Serpens OphiucL 

That biteth the horses heels, so that the rider 
shall fall backwards. 

If we allow, that a man on horseback first gave 
the idea of a centaur, we may easily admit, that a 
man on horseback first occupied the place, among 
the constellations, which is now held by Centaurus, 
Now I believe it will be found, that the head of 
the adder ascends at the same time with the feet 
of Centaurus, who rises heliacally with Scorpius. 



Perhaps the allusion may be to Sagittarius, 
followed in his descent by Scoipius and the Adder, 



28 



his concomitant. But the allusion will also apply 
to Hydra, a paranatellon of Scorpiiis. 

At etiam Centaurus occidit cum Hydra. Hyg. 

But the most surprising thing, which I have 
remarked on the subject of Dan, is what is men- 
tioned in the 19th chapter of Joshua, and in the 
1 8th chapter of the book of Judges. There we 
learn that the Danites took possession of a city 
called Laish, or Lashem, &c. to which they gave 
the name of Dan. It seems very remarkable, 
that there are stars in Scorpius still called Leshaa, 
Leshat, Lesos, &c. In fact the Greeks give this 
last name to Antares, from the Chaldeans, by 
whom it was called Lesh, or Lesha, My reader 
may consider these things, and then judge for 
himself. 



VII. Gad, a troop shall overco7?ie Mm, but he 
shall overcome at the last. 

When I first read this, I was inclined to assign 
Capricorn to Gad. R. Solomon, and other 



29 



RabbinS;, distinctly tell us, that a certain cluster of 
stars was called Gad; and these stars, we know, 
are to be found in Capricorn, which sign is called 
Giedi by the Arabians, Gadia by the Chaldeans, 
and Gadi by the Syrians, all of which are manifest 
corruptions from Gad. But it now appears to me 
that J Ties was assumed by Gad as his ensign. 

Columella fixes the 24th of December as the 
period of the winter solstice, and the 24th of 
March as that of the vernal equinox. Now the 
Sun was feigned to be born anew at the winter 
solstice, and was then represented by the Egyptians 
under the form of the infant Harpocrates. At the 
vernal equinox, he passed to the upper hemisphere 
into the region of light. But the new birth of the 
Sun had taken place, when he was in the sign of 
Capricorn, where a troop, or cluster, of stars, had 
received the name oi Gad, which signifies^ troop ; 
and as this was considered a happy epoch. Gad 
came to be adored as a Deity, that presided over 
the fortunes of men, and that was known under 
the name of Baal-Gad. The appellation of Gad, 
which seems to have come in the end to signify 
,the fortunate, was thus probably associated with 



30 



the Sun, when he ascended to the upper hemis- 
phere. 

That Gad assumed Aries as his ensign is 
probable from the traditions, but I chiefly infer it 
from the text before us, and from a passage which 
I shall have presentlj^ to cite from Deuteronomy. 

Gady as I have already observed, originally 
signified a troop ; and we must remember, that 
the sign of Aries is called Princeps Zodiaci, 
JDuctor exercitiis Zodiaci, Dux gregis, Princeps 
signorum, Sec. It is said, that a troop shall over- 
come Gad, but that he shall overcome at the last. 
Aries seems to be the symbol of the Sun, who after 
having descended to, and returned from, the lower 
hemisphere, contends for his place in the upper 
hemisphere; and the ancients accordingly repre- 
sented him as struggling against the constellations, 
which they typified by a ram butting with his horns. 
In the 33d chapter of Deuteronomy we read, that 
" Gad had provided the first part for himself, 
because there, in a portion of the lawgiver, was 
he seated." The year of the Hebrews commenced 
in the month Nisajt, when the Sun was in Aries^ 



31 



and thus we may understand how Gad provided 
the first part for himself. He was seated in a 
portion of the lawgiver, whom we have seen to be 
Cepheus ; and according to Hipparchus, the 
Zodiac, ab Arietis 8 media parte ad 14, descends 
with the crown and sceptre of Cepheus. In the 
Persian sphere, a young man is here represented 
sitting on a throne/ 

Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he 
shall yield royal dainties. 

The Balance, according to Kircher, was the 
emblem painted on the standard of Asher. 

In the astrological calendar taken from Egyptian 
monuments, I find under Libra the following 



* It is to be observed, however, that at the period when 
the text was written, Aries occupied the place now held by 
Pisces. I find that the star in Ursa Minor, which is next to 
Cepheus, the lawgiver, is called Giadi, or Gadi, by the 
Arabians. Perhaps the relative positions of these constel- 
lations with Jries may be alluded to in the text. 



52 



emblems of that abundance, which the text indi- 
cates as coming out of Ashe?\ 

Vir iitrdque manu spiculum tenens. 

Vir artmm equis arans, 

Vir aratrum trahens. 

Villa cum domihus benh omatis. 

Arbor frondosa in horto. Sec. 

In the account of the Indian sphere, and under 
the sign of Libra, I read as follows : 

Homo in tabernd instiforid in Jbro manu fenens 
stateram ad emejidum et vendendujn. 

In the 33d chapter of Deuteronomy, Moses thus 
addresses Asher — Let Asher be blessed with 
children, let him be acceptable to his brethren, 
and let him dip his foot in oil. Thy shoes shall 
be iron and bypass, and as thy days so shall thy 
strength be. The happy season, when the Sun was 
m Libra, was represented by a man Taupo}ci(poL7\,og 
in the Egyptian Zodiac, who held a streaked rod 
in one hand, and a balance in the other. We often 



33 



find the balance alone. Perhaps when it is said, 
thy shoes shall be iron and brass, some allusion is 
made to the scales of the balance.* 

IX. Naphthali is a hind set loose; he giveth 
goodly words. 

This seems to me to be unintelligible. I have 
no hesitation in translating with Bochart, arbor 
surculosus edens i^amos pulchjntudinis. * The 
traditions allot the sign of Virgo to Naphthali, 

A tree then was probably the symbol painted on 
the standard of Naphthali ; but what has a tree to 
do with the sign of Virgo ? R. Avenar, the Jewish 
astrologer, tells us that a tree was represented by 
the Egyptians beside the sign of Virgo. In the 
Zodiacs found at Dendera, Virgo is represented 



* Two of the sons of Asher are called Jimnah and Ishuah 
—he that shall distribute or weigh out any thing — and he who 
shall equalise — evidently alluding to the sign of the balance. 

* Consult also the Septuagint. 
C 



34 

with the branch of a palm-tree in her hand. In 
the calendar, to which I have so often referred, I 
find under the sign of Virgo the following emblems : 

Vir sub abiete sedens. 
Arbor frondosa in gramme. 

When, then, we consider, that instead of trans- 
lating Naphthali is a hind set loose, he giveth goodly 
words; we should render, Naphthali is a tree 
shooting forth, producing goodly branches ; we 
shall have no great difficulty in fixing the sign, to 
which we may suppose Jacob made allusion. 

We read in the 33d chapter of Deuteronomy, 
O Naphthali, satisjied with fomr, and full of the 
blessings of Jehomh, possess thou the west and 
the south. 

Let us take the summer solstice in the sign of 
Leo, where it had been in fact, when astronomy 
was first cultivated in the East. After the solstice, 
then, the Sun entered the sign of Virgo, which I 
suppose to have been the emblem of Naphthali. 
, The possession of Naphthali was consequently to 



35 



be in the South and the West, for the Sun had 
begun to return from the northern hemisphere 
towards the equator. It will be observed, that 
this address of the sacred historian can be by no 
means applied to the geographical position of the 
tribe of NaphihalL 

X. Joseph is a fruitful bough, eotn a fruitful 
hough by a well, whose branches run omr a wall. 
In the original the w^ords are as follow : 

According to the traditions, Taurus w^as the 
emblem of Ephraiin, who assumed the standard 
of his father Joseph, whom Moses compares with 
a young bull. 

I find the Hebrew words, above cited, full of 
allusions to the sign of Taurus. 

The words n, which are translated a fruitful 
hough, may be rendered ^//w^ mcccE. Thus we find 
in Job ^ST\% his cow. Should my reader, however, 
^prefer the usual interpretation, he will find that 



36 



Theon compares the Pleiades^ the concomitants of 
Taurus, with clusters of grapes; and Onkelos, in 
his Targum, gives us to understand, that the fruit- 
ful bough in question was a mne branch. 

That ain, in a metaphorical sense, may signify 
a zvell, is undeniable ; but its proper meaning is an 
eye. Now it will be recollected, that the great 
star, which the Arabians commonly call Aldeharan, 
is also named by them Ain-al-tor, " the bull's eye;'' 
and, (if I understand Riccioli rightly) it is some- 
times termed simply ain, the eye." I cannot help 
thinking that ain, in the passage before us, means 
ain-al-tor^ " the bulls eye." 

n^yi benoth properly signifies daughters, and it 
seems very strange to translate it " whose branches." 
But I imagine, that an allusion is here made to the 
Pleiades, which the Chaldeans called Succoth 
Benoth, and the Arabians ^xJJi c»!x> Benat Alnash, 
This group of stars was represented by a hen and 
seven chickens ; and Succoth Benoth is thus symbo- 
lised in the Mithraic monuments, and in the 
Egyptian Zodiacs. But my reader will find this 
more fully explained in the Pantheon Hebrceorum^ 



37 



The word shor is translated a wall: its 
more obvious signification is a bull. 

The archers ham solely "vexed him, and shot at 
him, and hated him. 

Immediately after the Sun has passed into Sagit- 
tarius, the head of Taurus, according to Colu- 
mella^ begins to set. 

But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of 
his hands were made strong by the hands of the 
mighty God of Jacob : from thence is the shepherd, 
the stone of Israel 

I cannot help suspecting, that the word TWp is 
not always properly translated a bow. The bow, 
indeed, is only called TW^ from its being stiff, and 
hard to bend. 

Arms in English may signify either arma or 
brachia, but it is only in the latter sense that '»i^1t 
can be translated arms. Now brachia manuum 
ejus seems to me to be very like nonsense. I 
conceive the proper meaning of ^j/lt is semina. 



38 



The Patriarch seems to be alludmg to that season 
when the Sun is in Taurus, and when all nature 
may be said to germinate. 

From thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel 

I am unable to say what is the astronomical 
allusion intended in this place. Perhaps reference 
is made to the brilliant constellation of Orion. I 
observe, that the Arabians call one of the stars of 
Orion by the name of A 1 7^ai, " the shepherd.'' 
Perhaps an allusion was made to Horns, the type 
of the vernal Sun, and the representative of the 
principle of generation among the Egyptians. 

We may then translate the whole passage literally 
— A son of a cow, (meaning the celestial bull, or 
sign of Taurus) is Joseph, a son of a cow beside 
Ain ; (meaning Ain-al-Tor, the great star 
commonly called Aldebaran,) the Benoth (mean- 
ing Succoth Benoth, or the Pleiades, whose station 
is on the back of Taurus) walk upon the bull. 
The archers (probably alluding to Sagittarius) 
ha've sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated 



39 



him. But his bow * abode in strength, and the 
seeds of his hands were strengthened from the 
hands of the mighty one of Jacob, whence the 
shepherd, the stone of Israel. 

Now let my reader turn to Hyde, Hist. Rel. 
Vet. Pers. p. 113. where he will find four represen- 
tations of the Sun in Taurus, taken from the 
Mithraic monuments, and let him compare them 
with the passage before us. 

Mithras is represented upon the back of a young 
bull, which he pierces with a dagger, and its blood, 
the symbol of fertilisation, trickles down upon the 
ground. At some distance is seen the head of 
another bull, and a fruit-tree is placed over its 
head. If, therefore, we prefer the common trans- 
lation of JT)9 \X ci fruitful bough, we shall have 
the sense explained by this monument, where we 
see a fruitful bough upon the bull's head, where is 
the star called Ain, or Aldebaran. In the next 
copartment, a hen and seven stars, called Succoth 



* Anne membrum genitale intensum ? 



40 



Benoth, or the Pleiades, are seen on the back of a 
bull, and the text says, the Benoth walk upon the 
bull. A flying arrow is represented as ready to 
pierce the breast of Taurus, and we are told, that 
the archers shot at Joseph. But his bow abode in 
strength, and the seeds of his hands were made 
strong by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob. 
Before Mithras and the bull stands the personified 
principle of generation, who sheds his seed upon 
the ground. Now be it observed, that the God 
Hor was the Priapus of the Egyptians, and 
Kircher has proved, that Taurus was the station 
of Hor. Lucian has described this God — but I 
must give the translation of the passage in Latin— 
dextra manu sceptrum ienehat — Icevd suam ipsius 
mentulam arrectam, quod semina humo tecta in 
apertum emittat. 

If Jacob really meant to make no allusion to 
the sign of Taurus, it seems very strange that we 
should find so many circumstances which seem 
directly to relate to it. 

XI. Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf: in the 
morni?ig he shall devour the prey, and at night 
( evening) he shall divide the spoil. 



41 



I differ from Kircher and Dupuis concern- 
ing the ensign of Benjamin, which I suppose to 
have been the Twins. 

The entire appearance of the constellation of 
Centauriis^ and his Wolf, is fixed by Columella 
for the 5th of the Nones of May. 

Among other Oriental symbols of the sign which 
we call Geminiy Avenar, the Jewish astrologer, 
reckons the Wolf, which lie calls iKt zeeb, the very 
word in the text. 

In the account of the symbols contained in the 
Persian sphere, I read, at the second decan of 
Gemini — Homo tenens instrumentum musicum 
aureum, quo canit. Bestia arbore insistens. 
LVPVS, in cuius anteriore pede est signum. 

My reader may also take the following circum- 
stances into consideration : \ 

1. Among the Egyptians, Gemini v^diS the sign 
in which Aniibis had his station. 



42 



2. Anubis was the type of the planet Mercury, 
which is sometimes a morning, and sometimes an 
evening, star. 

3. The horison, immediately before the rising, 
and immediately after the setting, of the Sun, was 
symbolised by Anubis, 

4. Diodorus Siculus represents Anubis as hunt- 
ing.for prey. 

5. Julius Firmicus calls him Anubis Venator. 

6. Bochart has shown, that the wolf was called 
IKt quasi int, that is, zeeb, quasi golden, from its 
color ; and Jablonski pretends, that Anubis signi- 
fies gold in Egyptian, and that the God received 
that name quasi golden. 

It may be observed^ that Joseph and Benjamin 
were the sons of Rachel. But Rachel is Hebrew 
for a sheep. The signs taken by these brothers 
properly follow the sign of the sheep, which was 
variously called a ram, a sheep, and a iamb^ in 
different languages. 



43 



12. The sign of Sagittarius alone remains for 
Manasseh : and if I be right in my former 
conjectures, I cannot be mistaken in this ; but 
having already written so much on the standards of 
the tribes, I shall leave it to the ingenuity of my 
readers to supply what I have left unsaid on the 
subject of Manasseh. ^ 

It then is only incumbent on me to add, that 
Jacob's employing astronomical symbols, in order 
to convey his prophecies, can by no means take 
away either from their truth, or from their import- 
ance ; nor do I conceive, that their application is 
less obvious now, than it was before. 



/ 



/ 



II. 

&c. &c. 



ON THE 

FOURTEENTH CHAPTER OF GENESIS. 



The fourteenth chapter of Genesis, if taken 
merely as a piece of history, certainly appears to 
contain a very extraordinary relation of events. 
Eight Kings, among whom one was King of 
Admah, (that is, King of the earth,) and another 
was King of Nations, had been subject during 
twelve years to Chedorlaomer, King of Elam. In 
the thirteenth year, five of these Princes rebelled 
against their chief, and in the fourteenth year were 
defeated by him in the vale of Siddim, where four 
kings strove against five. But after this splendid 



48 



victory of the King of Elam, he had, it seems^ the 
rashness to cany away the shepherd Lot among 
his captives ; and this mighty monarch, this King 
of Kings, who had subdued the King of the Earth, 
and in whose train was the King of Nations, is in 
his turn pursued, defeated, and slaughtered, by the 
shepherd Abraham and his household servants. 

I presume not to deny, that this may be a true 
narrative. It seems difficult, however, to under- 
stand, who the monarchs were, who came to 
contend in the Vale of Siddim ; and it appears 
singular, that we know nothing of the kingdom of 
Elam, — that the vague title of the King of the 
Earth should be given to a tributary prince, — and 
that another of these potentates should be indi- 
cated by the equally indefinite description of King 
of Nations. I shall not take notice of the idle 
conjectures of those, who have supplied by bold 
assertions, whatever has been left doubtful, by the 
silence of the sacred historian. I shall only observe, 
that since Chedorlaomer and the kings that were 
with him, before they vanquished the rebels in the 
Vale of Siddim, had already overthrown the 



49 



Rephaims, the Zuzims, the Emims, the Horites, 
the Amalekites, and the Amorites^ their force must 
have been, indeed, considerable ; and that, while 
we are still unable to discover where were their 
dominions, we can entertain no doubts of the 
magnitude of their power, or of the terror, which 
must have been inspired by their arms. 

I ackno^vledge, that I believe the chapter before 
us to be rather a typical illustration than an histori- 
cal narrative. I am aware of the objections which 
may be urged against those, who too fondly seek 
for allegory in the Scriptures ; but I am not 
convinced that we are bound either by reason, or 
by faith, to assert that allegorical illustrations were 
never veiled by the sacred penmen, under the guise 
of recorded facts. 

It is well known, that Tsabaism, or the worship 
of the hosts of heaven, had seduced mankind from 
the religion of Nature and of God. The Deity, 
therefore, appears to have instructed Abram and 
his posterity in the knowledge of the true religion, 
not only that this knowledge might be transmitted 
from generation to generation among the chosen 

D 



50 



people, but that the world might not be without 
witnesses of the continued exercise of the divine 
Providence ; when, at last, the Gentile nations 
should be called upon to partake of the blessings 
produced by the most glorious of its dispensations. 
But so powerful is example so prone are men to 
fall into error : — and so favorable were the Heathen 
superstitions to the gratification of the passions, 
that the Hebrews, amidst an uninterrupted success- 
ion of miracles, were continually relapsing into 
that idolatry, from which the divine interposition 
was still necessary to rescue them. Separated 
from the rest of mankind, — with all his natural 
liberties abridged,— the slave of institutions which 
were as rigid as they were singular ; — Israel sighed 
for the comparative freedom, the milder laws, and 
the religious tolerance, of the Gentiles. He remem- 
bered Egypt — her wealth, her magnificence, her 
wisdom, her power, and her luxury. He beheld 
himself an emigrant and a wanderer. His way 
was the path of the outcast — his possession, the 
gloom of the Desert. When he hoped, it was as 
a robber; and when he thought of enjoyment, it 
was as a plunderer and a spoliator. He had no 
leisure for contemplating the divine nature and 



51 



attributes, while he fled from before the face of 
Pharaoh; while he murmured for bread in the 
wilderness of Sin, or while he thirsted for water by 
the rock of Horeb. He saw, indeed, that miracles 
were worked in his favor ; that Jehovah had led 
him through the sea ; and that, if there were other 
Gods, his God was mightier than they were ; but 
he conceived not the existence of a supreme and 
immaterial Being, whose throne is the Heavens, 
and whose empire is the Universe. He beheld 
Jehovah descend in fire on Mount Sinai, and heard 
the voice of the trumpet that made him tremble in 
his camp ; and yet his soul longed for the super- 
stitions of the Heathen, and his heart still clave 
to the dark idolatries of Egypt. Even the sight 
of the promised land could not conquer the stub- 
bornness of Israel. He could not learn to refer 
the existence of all things to a single and primary 
principle; he could not imagine the operation of 
power which was to be attributed to an invisible 
and incorporeal agent; and where he could not 
account for many, and for extraordinary effects, 
he was tempted by example, and perhaps inclined 
by superstition, to seek for the causes in beings^ 



52 



wfiom his credulity exalted to the rank, and whom 
his fears invested with the power, of Gods. 

The opinions and example of others seem to 
have had much influence on the Hebrews. From 
the Nile to the Nubian Desert on one hand, and 
to the Euphrates on the other, the infatuated 
nations adored the Sun, the Moon, and the Hosts 
of Heaven. After men had lost the knowledge of 
the true God, it may be easily conceived that they 
fell into this species of idolatry. The human 
mind is ever restless until it has associated effects 
with causes ; but when this association is once 
made, we seldom give ourselves the trouble of 
examining whether it be just or not. In a fine 
climate, and under a serene sky, the attention of 
the people was naturally, and seems to have been 
continually, directed to the observation of the 
celestial bodies, the movements of which soon 
came to be connected in their minds with the fate 
of individuals, and with the destinies of Empires* 
But where there is influence, there is power ; and 
where there is power, there must be both choice 
and knowledge. Men probably did not mark the 



55 



gradations by which they came to attribute life and 
action to inanimate objects ; and yet where super- 
stitious ignorance once acknowledges an unde- 
fined and superior power^ the steps are few which 
lead it to all the rest. 

There can be no system of religion but the true 
one, which is capable of satisfying a reasoning and 
reflecting mind. We may believe, that as the 
Chaldeans and Egyptians advanced in knowledge, 
their learned men secretly renounced, while they 
continued openly to teach, the errors of Tsabaism, 
which, in the hands of such men, could have been 
nothing else than a system of astronomy imposed 
on the people as a system of religion. Accordingly 
we find, that the popular Gods of Egypt were 
in fact mere astronomical symbols. The Sun, the 
Moon, and the Stars, were personified and deified ; 
the conjunction and opposition of planets were made 
subjects of joy or of lamentation ; and blessings,, 
or misfortunes, were supposed to follow the rising, 
or the setting, of the unconscious constellations. 
When the learned had to mark the commencement 
of new cycles, or to denote the periodical revolu- 
tions of the Stars, -new gods were introduced intp 



54 



the Pantheon, as regularly as changes were noticed 
in the calendar. As astronomical periods succeeded 
each other, the Sun, under new appellations, was 
adored on the throne of the heavens ; and even 
as he proceeded in his annual course through the 
signs of the zodiac, he was hailed by new names, 
and was worshipped under different attributes. 
Hence the Egyptian figments concerning the 
dynasties and the wars of the Gods; and hence 
all the marvels and the monsters, which sprang 
from the allegorical mythology of Egypt. 

From the most impartial examination which I 
have been able to give to the subject, I believe the 
mythology of the Chaldeans and Egyptians to 
have been chiefly founded on astronomy, and I 
think that hero-worship was ever unknown to those 
ancient nations. This was, indeed, the clumsy 
invention of a more degraded superstition ; and I 
attribute it with pain to the most amiable and 
ingenious, but not the most scientific, people of 
antiquity. Still, however, hero-worship seems to 
have been connected with Tsabaism. The mob of 
deified mortals, composed of heroes, of tyrants, of 
women, and of boys, was stationed in the starry 



55 



heavens. Cepheus, Perseus, and Hercules, were, 
from remote antiquity, fabled to have ascended to 
the sky, where Cassiopeia and Andromeda have 
each a portion of the celestial sphere, where Orion 
leads on the most brilliant of the constellations, 
and where his eagle had borne the favorite of 
Jupiter, ages before a place was there allotted to 
the minion of Adrian. 

When then we consider the general prevalence 
of Tsabaism among the neighbouring nations, we 
shall wonder less at the proneness of the Hebrews 
to fall into this species of idolatry. Neither shall 
we be surprised at the anxious efforts of their 
lawgiver to persuade and convince them of the 
vanity of these superstitions, when we recollect, 
that though he could command the elements, and 
give new laws to nature, he could not impose 
fetters on the free-will of others. With sucli a 
power as this he was by no means invested ; for 
the Almighty, in offering to the Hebrews the clear- 
est proofs of his existence, by no means constrained 
their belief. It cannot be doubted, that by an act 
of power, God might have coerced submission, 
and have commanded conviction ; but had there 



56 



been no choice, there could have been no merit in 
the acceptance of his law. 

Since, then, Jehovah did not compel the people 
to acknowledge his existence, by fettering their 
free-will, it was natural for his servant Moses to 
represent, by types and by symbols^ the errors of 
the Gentile nations ; and it is in no manner 
surprising, that the past, the existing, and the 
future, situation of the Hebrews, as well as the 
religious, moral, and political state of their neigh- 
bours, should be alluded to in symbolical language 
by an historian, who vvas also a teacher and a 
prophet. 

Above all things, however, it is evident, that 
the establishment of the true religion was the great 
object of the divine legation of Moses. To attain 
this purpose, it was not enough that he performed 
the most surprising miracles. His countrymen 
acknowledged the existence of Jehovah ; but with 
him they reckoned, and were but too willing to 
adore, other Gods. Is it then surprising, that the 
false notions of religion entertained by the Gentiles 
should be pointed out in the writings of Moses 



57 



and that their religious systems should be there 
made to appear what they really were, — the astro- 
nomical systems of scientific idolaters ? 

In the chapter before us, I see nothing that does 
not accord with this notion. It seems to me, that 
Moses intended to typify the history of the Gods 
of Egypt, and to show, that they were astronomi- 
cal symbols. After having done this, he clearly 
intimates the overthrow of idolatry, and the esta- 
blishment of the true religion ; and insinuates in 
no ambiguous terms, that the superstitions of the 
Gentiles, though interwoven with the laws, and 
countenanced by the prejudices, of mighty empires, 
should be at last destro3^ed through the means of 
a people, insignificant alike from their power and 
their numbers. Finally he introduces the Priest of 
the Most High God, whose appearance in this 
place is surely symbolical. 

But it is time that I proceed to the proof of 
what I have been hitherto generally stating. I 
must observe, however, in the first place, that I 
assume the acquaintance of my reader with 
Egyptian mythology and astronomy, to be suffi'* 



58 



ciently extensive, to enable him to follow the 
observations, which I shall have to make concerning 
both. It is only necessary then, that I remind 
him, that for the most part in all the ancient 
oriental languages, and almost invariably in 
Hebrew, proper names are significant. Let us 
now proceed to our analysis. 

And it ccme to pass in the days of AmrapheL 

The Chaldeans were accustomed to call the sign 
of Aries amra, or "iDi^ amar^ and the 

Syrians amro—i. e, agnus. ^^B^DK amarphel or 
amraphel, seems to be a contraction for 
amrapkelay " the wonderful lamb," or for n^3*)DK, 
" the lambof separation." — Ammon,or theSuninthe 
sign of Ariesy was probably intended to be typified. 

King of Shinar, 

Mekch, Moloch, or King, was a common solar 
title. 

Shinar, I conceive to be a compound word, 
"^^-W; I imagine Vi^ shan to be the name, under which 



59 



the annual Sun was worshipped. A temple was 
built to this God by the Philistines, who fastened 
the body of Saul to the wall of the house of Shan. 

ar signifies " an enemy." Aries is certainly the 
station of Mars ; but I rather think that should 
be written n^** iar^ because the Arabians call the 
plain of Babylon, to which this name of Shinar, or 
Shanar^ was transferred, Shaniar, or Shiniar. It 
would then be Shan of the wood, or grove. Now 
Strabo ' mentions that the temple of Ammon 
was placed in the midst of a grove, which formed a 
singular contrast with the surrounding desert. * See 
also Lucian de Ded Si/rid, 

I am inclined to think, then, that Amraphely 
Melech^ Shan-ar, are only so many titles, or 
symbols, descriptive of the Sun in the sign of 



* Upon further consideration I am inclined to believe, 
that 'ivw ought to be read njrJ \^ shan-naar— the year or 
annual sun, personified as a boy. In effect, the boy Harpo- 
crates was represented in the sign of Aries in both the 
Egyptian zodiacs found at Dendera. 



60 



Aries, who was worshipped by the Egyptians under 
the name of Amnion. 

Arioch, ari^ is the Hebrew for a lion, but 
it is peculiarly applied in the cognate dialects to the 
sign of Leo. 

Och, or Uch, was a term of honor, and ari-och 
probably signified Leo prceclarus. 

King of Ellasar. Where was this Kingdom of 
Ellasar, which must have been read Sellasar by 
some of the Greek translators, and Tellasar by 
Jonathan? Hieronymus understood that it was 
Pontus, but I know not on what authority. In 
Hebrew the word is written ^D^K, and without any 
masorah may be read Elsar. El, may signify 
mighty, or it may signify God, ")D Sar, Sh\ or Sir, 
(for the sound of the supplied \owe\ is of no 
manner of consequence) was a title frequently 
given to the Sun by the Egyptians, but particularly 
in the sign of Leo. 



Osiris was a symbolical name of the Sun, and, 
like other enigmas, was probably intended to convey 



Gl 



several meanings. There may be reason to think, 
as I have stated elsewhere, that the initial vowel, 
which we know to have been changeable, was 
frequently left out. The termination in is is 
evidently Greek. The name may then be expressed 
, in Coptic letters CIP Si?^ or, if the article be 
prefixed, OY-CIP, which comes sufficiently near to 
the Greek '^Oari pig. Leo was the domicile of Osiris, 
or of the Sun. 

The river Nile, which had assumed its greatest 
height, when the Sun was in Leo, was called Siris, 
or rather Sir, by the Ethiopians. Thus Stephanus 
says, X^r^VT], TToTiig AlyoTrrou xa) Al&ioTrlag stti rm 
iVsiAo)* ^sff wvoiKaarai Xtpig o Troraixog — Syent 
is a city of Egypt, and of Ethiopia, upon the 
Nile; beyond which the river is named Sir is. 

This name was undoubtedly given to the Nile, 
because it had already attained its greatest eleva- 
tion, when the Sun was worshipped under his 
character of Osir, or Sir. Hence, indeed, the 
river was said to owe its origin to Osiris. Plutarch 
strongly expresses this. A^sTXoy rlv Trarspa xa) 
(TwrrpoL TT.g ^copag, xa) ^Ocrlpi^ig oLTTopporv ovop.a- 



63 



^orjo-iy — tkci/ call the Nile the Jalher mid saviour 
of the region, and a jiuxion of Osiris, 

There seems to be a strange corruption which 
is made by the Greeks of the name of the Egyptian 
month, which is said to have answered to August. 

Ka/ Mi(ropi NeiTioio (pipsi (ptxr/^aov S^wp. 

I cannot help suspecting the initial ine in mesori 
to be nothing else than the Egyptian sign, which is 
usually prefixed to a noun to denote it to be such. 
The vowels were probably supplied by the author 
to suit his verse. 

The stars in the sign of Leo now occupy the 
place, which was held by those of Virgo a little 
more than two thousand years ago. 

The Dog-star was probably called Sir (in Latin 
Sirius ) from its rising heliacally, shortly after the 
time that the Sun was in Leo, and while that 
luminary was worshipped under the name of 
or Osir. 



63 

The Persians and Indians still call the sign of 
Leo, by the name of Shir, or Sir. 

I have already observed, that it imports little 
with what vowel we supply the radicals S. R. 
Serapis evidently combined the names of Ser and 
Apis, That Sir, or Osir, whom the Greeks called 
Osiris, was the same with Apis, may be proved 
from Strabo and other writers, whose words I have 
cited in another place. 

But the word Sar, Ser, or Sir, also denoted a 
certain cycle. Its duration w^as 3600 years accord- 
ing to Berosus. Suidas gives a different account 
of it^ for he makes it consist of only 222 months 
and a half. The Sar, or Chaldean cycle called 
Saros by the Greeks, has embarrassed astronomers. 
Halley having found the cycle mentioned by Pliny 
to consist of 223 lunar months, and not of 222, as 
wrongly printed in the common editions, has 
pretended, that this period is no other than the 
Saros, and that the text of Suidas should be 
corrected in the same manner. The reasoning of 
Halley upon this point is generally rejected ; and 
has been refuted both by M. Goguet and by M. Le 



64 

Gentil. We must then adopt the text of Berosus 
and his folio wers, and read 3,600 years. But this 
period, says M, Goguet, (like that assigned by 
Suidas,) is one to which we can apply no astrono- 
mical operation. 

Now this does not appear to be quite correct. 
The cycle called the Neros was of 600 years 
duration ; and M. Goguet agrees with Cassini in 
thinking it one of the finest periods which has yet 
been found. But after the completion of this 
period for the sixth time, that is to say at the end 
of 3,600 years, it would be found that a very sensi- 
ble disorder had resulted from it. Cassini, I believe, 
allows the error of one second for each lunar month; 
and makes the Solar year of the Chaldeans to 
amount to 365 days, 5 hours, 5 1 minutes, and 36 
seconds. In order not to be embarrassed with 
fractions, let us assign the error of one second to each 
solar month in the Chaldean calculation. Then at 
the completion of the sixth revolution of the Neros, 
or at the end of 3,600 Chaldean solar years, there 
would be an error amounting to about 63 hours 
and a half for the whole period. It can scarcely 
be supposed, that a people so scientific as the 



65 



Chaldeans would fail to remark this ; and they 
consequently would reform their calendar. Thus 
the Egyptians, when they perceived that the Sothis, 
or the Thoth as it was sometimes called, did not 
make a perfect period, multiplied this cycle by 25, 
and obtained their great year. This has always 
appeared to me an extraordinary proof of the 
science of a people, whom we affect to treat with 
contempt. 

M. Goguet further observes, that the name of 
Sar, given to this period, would suffice to prove, 
that it was composed of lunar months, because the 
Chaldean word sar signifies menstruus, or lunaris. 
This statement is not quite accurate. The word 
iriD sahar^ or Kino sahara, signifies the moon in 
Chaldaic ; but that luminary is only so called 
from its globular form, because the proper and 
original signification of Sahara is rotundity, I 
rather imagine, therefore, that the cycle was called 
sar from its being a round period, at the conclusion 
of which the Sun and the Moon ought to return 
to the points, at which they were found at its 
commencement 



66 



That Ari'Och, Mekch^ El-Sar, were words 
expressive of some astronomical symbol I can 
hardly doubt. Concerning the enigmatical manner 
of writing aud speaking among the Egyptians, I 
conceive it to be unnecessary to make any remarks ; 
but that this manner has been copied in the text 
appears sufficiently evident. 

Chedorlaomer King of Elam. 

The name of Chedorlaomer is thus explained by 
Jonathan in his Targum. 

.nwn TsnjiD ^^^\> nirn 

This is the ligament remlving itself about the 
sheaves. 

This seems a very singular name for a great 
monarch. Nevertheless Jonathan's explanation 
of the word appears to be nearly just. I confess, 
however, I can only understand it as an astrono- 
mical symbol. According to the Egyptian mytho- 
logy, Isis was said to have dropped a sheaf of 



67 



eorn as she fled from Typhon, who scattered it 
over the heavens, as he continued to pursue her. 

In the Egyptian Zodiac Isis, whose place was 
suppHed by Virgo, was represented sometimes with 
the leaf of a palm-tree, and sometimes with three 
ears of corn in her hand. 

But I think it highly probable, that the signs of 
the zodiac were compared with corn bound in 
sheaves. ' This notion is not unsupported by 
evidence. 

The Chinese call the zodiac the yelloxv road ; as 
resembling a path over which the ripened ears of 
eorn are scattered. 

The Syrians and Chaldeans appear to have had 
51 similar idea. Mor Isaac says 

.{inZ ailajLO 



V 

' The symbol of Blaundus in Phrygia was four ears of 
com tied together. Geb. tome 9. 



68 



and the zone of the zodiacal circle is called the 
path of straw. 

That the signs of the zodiac were assumed as 
the twelve ensigns of the tribes of Israel, I have 
proved in another dissertation. Joseph seems to 
allude to this, when he says, ^' the Sun and Moon, 
and the eleven stars (constellations) made obeisance 
to me." But he had already said to his brethren, 
" your sheaves stood round about, and made 
obeisance to my sheaf." 

I confess then, that I cannot help considering 
Chedorlaomer, or that which girds the sheaves, 
rather as a symbol expressive of the zodiac, than 
as the name of a real monarch. 

The Sun in his progress through the signs of the 
zodiac was called Chon by the Egyptians, whom, 
as I have shown elsewhere, they considered as the 
God of Time. 

nh^'V King of Elam — King of Time. 
Tidal King of nations. The word bV'^D Tidal^ 



69 



(if this be the true reading) is Chaldaic. It is 
compounded of in (Chaldaic for ity), a breast^ 
and exalted. There can be no doubt, that the 
Heathens worshipped idols under the form of paps 
or breasts, which the Hebrews called Shedi, or 
Shedim, and the Chaldeans Tedi. Isis, or Diana, 
or the Dea Multimammia, will present a ready 
emblem of this species of idolatry to the mind of 
the mythologist. Isis, then, whose type was a coxVj 
may have been meant by this exalted breast. But 
it seems to me, that for bv*TJl Tidal, we should read 
b)^^r\ Tiral, or Taral ; and in this I am supported 
by the Septuagint. ' There is, however, no such 
word in Hebrew, as b'^'^Ty, unless we bring it fi'om 
bv^, which is out of the question. It follows then 
that we must look to the Chaldaic ; and there we 
shall find bv-^rs, or would signify Taurus 

excelsus. 

D^"):? l^D Melech Gohn^ " King of Nations." The 
Syrian interpreter writes Melech Geleth, King of 



' The LXX always write a gamma for the Hebrew ain» 
They consequently have ^ee^ycfA in the Septuagint. They 
ought to have had either ^*e|«6<*A, or ret^otoch^ 



70 

the revolving sphere/' whence one would think he 
held Tor-al to be an astronomical personage. In 
fact, before the time of Abraham, Taurus was the 
leading sign — the conductor of the celestial hosts. 
Rather more than 4000 years ago, that title was 
transferred to Arks. But I would rather read 
Goim, as in the text, and with the LXX. Goa, or 
Gao, is the ancient Persian name of the sign of 
Taurus. 

That these made war xvith l^era. 

Bera^ according to the Tar gum of Jonathan, 
is compounded of the preposition ^, and and 
consequently signifies in evil. This seems, at least, 
to have been the manner in which Jonathan under- 
stood the word. But I rather suspect that 
Bera is an erroneous reading for i^'lS) Per a; where 
M^e find i?-) preceded by the Egyptian article 3. Pera 
then would signify the evil one, if be Hebrew in 
the name before us ; but I rather think it to be that 
Egyptian word which signified King, and which I 
have explained in my " Essay on a Punic Inscription." 
If, however, we follow the orthography before us ; 
I must take the meaning from the Arabic, in which 



7] 



.,j Bera signifies excellence, and which was proba- 
bly an ancient solar title. 

DTD 'f)l2 Melech SodojUy King of Sodom." This 
last word is not Hebrew, and in truth few of these 
proper names are. They are all either Egyptian, 
or Chaldean, or ancient Persian. In Hebrew 
Sodom might signify a secret, or a shackle, as 
derived from id. The meaning, however, is order, 
or regularity, or the beauty which proceeds from 
both. ' 

Birsha. Jonathan translates this word ^tt^ia ; and 
some again translate him as rendering the name 

in opprobrium,'' diudi others, agoinstopprobrium.'' 
This can have nothing to do with the sense. No 
man ever had such a name. The personage here 
is an astronomical one. ^^12 Birsha, is Chaldaic. 
It is a name compounded of in Jilius, and rw, or 
y^, hora, tempus, &c. 

King of Gomorrah, This last word was prin- 
cipally used to signify either a certain measure^ or 
a sheaf of corn. We have already seen that this 
last was an astronomical type. 



* See Rumelio. 



72 



Shinab King of Admah. Without attending to 
the points, which every Hebrew scholar must know 
to have been invented at least six hundred years 
after the Christian era, we may conclude, that 
Shinab is compounded of Shan, ''the annual Sun," 
and ab (a well-known solar title), which signifies 
father. This may then indicate the year, or 
period, of Saturn. It is certain, that the Sun was 
worshipped under the names of Rephan, Moloch, 
Chon, and Saturn ; and that Saturn was fabled to 
have been dethroned by his son Jupiter. When, 
therefore, we find Shan, the title under which the 
year, or perhaps the Sun in his annual course, was 
deified and worshipped, coupled with ^.tk ab^ pater, 
we may naturally associate it with the name of 
Saturn. Shan-ab is called " King of Admah,'' that 
is, " King of the Earth;" and Saturn was fabled to 
have fled to the earth, after having been driven by 
Jupiter from the throne of the heavens. 

Shemeber, 

This signifies the name of the mighty one; but 
both the Samaritan copies have Shemabad, i. e. the 
name of destruction, or perhaps, of the destroyer* 



73 



May not this destroyer be the great serpent, feigned 
by some to have been slain by Apollo, but which 
is said by Pausanias to have been killed by Kplos, 
that is, by Ammon, or the Sun in Aries 9 

I think it is mentioned by Aratus, that the 
Dragon was not to be found among the figures, by 
which the Egyptians represented the constellations. 
I cannot, at this moment, refer to Kircher, in order 
to discover upon what authorities he placed the 
Dragon in the planispheres, which he has exhibited ; 
but that dragons, or serpents, were represented in 
the Egyptian planispheres, I cannot doubt. Hor- 
Apollo mentions, indeed, that the hieroglyphic 
which expressed the heavens was a serpent, and 
that the stars were denoted by the scales ; and 
Clemens Alexandrinus tells us, that the oblique 
course of the stars was indicated by the tortuous 
folds of a serpent. It appears, that from the 
most remote antiquity the two points, at which the 
ecliptic and the Moon's orbit intersect each other, 
were called the head and tail of the Dragon. As 
these are the points at which eclipses happen, 
astronomers fabled the existence of a monster that 
devoured the sun and moon. 



74 



It seeriis not impossible to me, that the word 
may have been originally written or 
the sei^pent of dtstruction. But this is 
merely conjectural. My reader may, however, consi- 
der what has been stated, with some plausibility, by 
M. Dupuis on the Abaddon of the Apocalypse. 

• 

That the Dragon is alluded to in the text 
appears more clearly from the following words, 
since Shemabady (or Shemeber as we have it in the 
Hebrew text) is called King of Zeboiim. Now 
what sense shall we affix to Zeboiim? If we follow 
the present reading, Shemabad must be either King 
of decorations, or King of she-goats, or King of 
hyccnas ; for which several meanings consult 
Buxtorf, in voce ''l^i, and Bochart Hieroz. Part first. 
Now I confess that I suspect □''''lii to have been 
written by some scribe for a^NlSi ; and if this be 
so, I shall have no scruple in translating King of 
the starry hosts. We have already seen from Hor- 
Apollo, that the stars of heaven were hieroglyphi- 
cally expressed by the scales of a serpent. 

And the King of Bela. 



75 



Bela signifies to swallozv up. Is there not 
here another allusion to the celestial Dragon, 
feigned by astronomers, and believed by idolators, 
to have swallowed up the Sun? Bel, the God of 
the Babylonians, w^as no other than the great 
Dragon, though ^e/has been sometimes confounded 
with BaaL The name of Bel seems to me to have 
been taken from Bela; for the great Dragon was 
evidently called Bel, as the devourer, or as the 
swallower. This is apparently alluded to by 
Jeremiah, where he says— 

.V3D ^vb2, riK "^rmny 

" And I have punished Bel in Babel, and have 
made him eject his bela (what he hath swallowed) 
from his mouth." 

Which is Zoar ; that is the little. 

The greatest space between the Moon's orbit 
and the ecliptic is called the belly of the Dragon. 
As the Moon approaches to her nodes, this space 



76 



becomes smaller, and of course is least just before 
the point, where she crosses the Ecliptic. 

It appears, that the whole passage, as far as I 
have hitherto gone, is symbolical ; and I find it 
not a little remarkable, that the greater part of it 
can be expressed in hieroglyphics, with considera- 
ble accuracy. Is it not probable then, that the 
text is an interpretation of a hieroglyphical writing, 
which the sacred historian thought it necessary to 
introduce into his work? 

That the symbols here expressed were originally 
denoted by hieroglyphics, I think evident from the 
facility, with which they may again be rendered 
into their primary forms. 

Ammon, or the Sun in Aries j here denominated 
Amraphel, agnus mirabilis, was represented by a 
man with the head of a ram. See my " Essay on a 
Punic Inscription," p. 50. 

We are told by Ammianus Marcellinus, that a 
King was represented in hieroglyphics by a bee. 



77 



If I be right in reading Shan-iar, the hierogly- 
phic of this ought to be the image of the Sun, and 
a grove of trees ; or if the etymology be Shari' 
naar, we ought to have the more common symbol 
of Harpocrates. 

The words Arioch, Melech, are to be expressed 
by a lion and a bee. 

If El-sar be the same with El-Sir^ there can 
be little doubt that reference is made to the God 
Sir, whom the Greeks called Osiris. The hiero- 
glyphic of Osiris was a sceptre and an eye. 

Chedorlaomer was probably denoted by a sheaf, 
or sheaves of corn. The bee again recurs. Time, 
or eternity^ which is the signification of Elam, was 
typified by a serpent biting his tail. 

Tor-aal, or the exalted Bull, is itself a hierogly- 
phic. The word Melech is again to be denoted 
by a bee. If for Goiyn we read Geloth, a hiero- 
glyphic must be found for the spheres. Two 
present themselves : First an onion, of which the 
coats were the symbols of the spheres : (This was 



78 



the reason why onions were so much venerated in 
Egypt :) Secondly two serpents, represented in the 
following form: 




These made war. 

Upon the authority of Hor- Apollo, w^e may 
state that a battle was designed by two hands, one 
of which held a bow^ and the other a shield. 

But I have said enough on this part of the 
subject, and shall leave others to exercise their 
ingenuity upon it. Let us return to our analysis. 

All these were joined in the Vale of Siddini, 
which is the salt-sea. 

DHllf Siddim ; These were Deities worshipped 
by the idolators. They were probably so named 
from 1,1V, a breast. See Parkhurst, in mce, I shall 
attempt at the end of this Dissertation to give a 
rude sketch of one of these many-breasted idols, 



79 



of- which there are various representations in the 
7th volume of the Thesaurus of Gronovius. 

JVhich is the salt-sea. It appears from Jose- 
phus, ^vhose words I have quoted in another 
Dissertation, that the sea was a symbol of the 
hemisphere, as Isis, or the Dea Multimammia^ 
seems to have been a lunar emblem. 

Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in 
the thirteenth year they rebelled. 

The astronomical allusion, here intended to be 
made, may be well illustrated by the words of 
Goguet. " Nous voyons que dans les premiers 
ages, r annee, chez presque tous les peuples, n'etoit 
composee que d'un mois ; et encore ce mois ^toit- 
il lunaire.'* Now it is evident, that at the end of 
the 12th lunar month, neither the solar nor the 
sidereal year would be complete. The Sun would 
neither rise, nor set, at the same time, or in the 
same place, as when the lunar year commenced ; 
and the constellations would not be found, where 
they had been at the beginning of the period. In 
following this mode of calculating, the whole order 



i 



80 



of the seasons would be found to be reversed in 
the space of 17 years. We cannot suppose then, 
that the Chaldeans and Egyptians continued to 
count long by the lunar year, which is composed of 
354 days. A reform appears to have been made at 
a very early period ; and M. Goguet has proved 
that the year which Moses employed was 
composed of 360 days. This has led some to 
suppose, that Moses was very ignorant of astrono- 
my. The chapter before us, I think, will justify 
him from that reproach. 

. To complete the year employed by the Hebrews, 
no less than five days and a quarter were wanting. 
Now the Priests of Egypt knew this. Herodotus 
says, that they added the five days ; and if he makes 
no mention of the remaining hours, it is, probably, 
because the Priests did not confide to him the 
secret. The science of the learned Egyptians was 
their religion. Hence all the mysteries with which 
it was enveloped. We know, however, that Plato, 
Eudoxus, Diodorus Siculus, and Plutarch, were 
aware that the Egyptians computed the year rightly. 
The truth then was likely to be known to IMoses, 
who was versant in all the learning of Egypt. 



81 



I have already stated that Chedorlaomer seems 
to have been the symbol of the Zodiac, or rather, 
perhaps, of the course of the Sun through the 
signs. It is by observing that course, that the 
true length of the year is to be determined ; and 
the omission of the five days, and the consequent 
disorders in the computation of the ^^ear, seem to 
be symbolised by the rebellion of the five Kings. 

Plutarch, when he informs us, that the five days 
were intercalated by the Egyptians, mentions that 
on each of these days a Deity was born. There 
are various fables told by the Greeks concerning 
this celebrated intercalation. For my own part, I 
cannot help thinking, that the fourteenth chapter of 
Genesis, and the tenth of the Book of Joshua, are 
only different editions of the same astronomical 
histories, of which the Greeks have again given 
new accounts, and which they told after their owu 
manner. 

And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer^ 
and the Kings that were with him, and smote the 
Rephaims in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzims 

F • - 



82 



m Ham, mid the Emims in SJiaveh Kariathaim, 
and the Horites in their' Mount Seir^ unto El 
Varan, which is by the JVilderness. 

Here all the confusion produced by the use of 
the civil year seems to be pointed out. The five 
days having been omitted in the old year^ and 
being reckoned in the first month of the new year, 
at the end of the 1 2th lunar month ; it is obvious 
that in the second month of this new year, the Sun 
would not be in the same part of the Ecliptic, as 
he had been in the second month of the preceding 
year. It will be observed that, since months were 
denominated years, the fourteenth year in the text 
really answers to the fourteenth month, or to the 
second month of the new year. But each month 
containing 30 days only, the error of the calcula- 
tion would be perceived from the Sun's place in the 
second month of the new year, fourteen months, 
(or, as they w^ere then denominated, fourteen years,) 
after the commencement of the period stated to be 
annual. Chedorlaomer, or the Sun in his progress 
\ through the signs of the Zodiac, is consequently 
typified as making war with the constellations. 
He smote the Rephaims in Ashteroth Karnaim- 



83 



The Rephaim (not Rephaims) were adorers of 
the Moon, and probably those who principally 
adhered to the use of the Lunar year. (See Park- 
hurst, in voce D''^^^'^.) If, however, we take the 
more common translation, w^e must understand the 
Rephaim to have been giants. Now the constel- 
lations were called giants^ terrible ones, mighty 
ones, &c. as is evident from the catalogues of their 
names in use among the Oriental nations. Ashte- 
roth has been generally supposed to be the title of 
the Moon, corruptly written Astarte by the Greeks. 
In fact it appears, that the idols, representing the 
Moon under her several phases, were called Ashte- 
roth. Samuel tells us of Saul, that the Philistines 

placed Ms armour (in) the house of Ashteroth, 
Kimchi says, est nomen, ( nempe Ashteroth^) imagi' 
num ovium formam hahentium^ quas pro Deabus 
colebant Tsidonii et F hills tcsi. See also Mor Isaae 
quoted by Kircher, (Ed. V. 1. 

Karnaim signifies horns; and Ashteroth of 
horns must consequently mean the lunar crescent. 



84 



Herodotus observes, that lo was represented with 
horns. loy or loh^ is still the Coptic word for the 
Moon. 

And the Zuzims (ixad Zuzim ) in Ham» 

The Zuzim are generally understood to signify 
strong ones, giants; but I derive the word from rir, to 
shine, or to mo^ve. The Zuzim were then proba- 
bly the shining ones, or the stains, I know not the 
meaning of Ham, According to the Samaritan 
copy we should read in Laishy or in Lisha, and 
this name I shall show to have indicated Scorpius, 
when I come to examine a subsequent verse. 

And the Emims in Shaveh Kariathaim. 

The Emim were giants, or terrible ones. Shaveh, 
r\W, is the Chaldaic word for the Equator. Shaveh 
Kariathaim, the Equator of the cities, can hardly 
be mistaken for any thing else than for an astrono- 
mical expression.' The points seem to be indicated, 



* The Persians designate the celestial houses, as we call 
them, towers, citadels, and cities. 



85 



where the Equator and the Ecliptic intersect each 
other, and where the Equator divides the celestial 
mansions, or cities, into equal parts. 

And the Horites in their Mount Seir. 

I translate, and the wrathful ones in their momi- 
tain of the goat. Whether, or not, any allusion 
be here made to Capricorn, I am unable to judge. 
The Horites may have been the stars in Taurus, 
where Hor, according to Kircher, had his station. 
Taurus rises early in the evening, when the sun is 
in Capricorn. 

Unto El Paran, which is by the wilderjiess. 

b'^t^ e/, (rather eil, or ail) signifies a ram, and there 
seems to be some allusion to the sign of Aries. 
The word Par an is less easy to be explained. 
Perhaps it is *ii^S), with the addition of an intensi- 
tive nun. It will then signify an ornament for the 
head. Eusebius, see my " Essay on a Punic Inscrip- 
tion," mentions that Ammon, or the Sun in Aries, 
was represented with a disk over his head. El 
Par an J or the Ram with the ornament on his head. 



86 

is said to be by the wilderness. Now by the 
wilderness I understand the lower hemisphere, the 
region of darkness, and the kingdom of Ahriman. 
Four thousand five hundred years ago, the vernal 
equinox took place when the Sun was in JVzwrw^,and 
consequently y^r^V^ and Libra, were the uppermost 
signs of the lower hemisphere. That the wilder- 
ness w^as the hieroglyphic, by which the lower hemi- 
sphere was expressed, I am led from many things 
to suspect. Jupiter Ammon, or El Paran, or the 
Sun in Aries, was fabled by the Egyptians to ham 
lived in the desart, until he was brought out of it 
by Isis. Does not this allude to the period, when 
the equinox first happened when the Sun was in 
Aries? Plutarch says, (pTjo-} Trefi row Aiog o 
Euho^og, [xv$o'Koy£7u AlyvTrrloug, wg rwu (rxsT^mu 

ai(r^6vrjg spYjixla hiirpi^su* 'H he "^la-ig ^lOLTs^oiJGra 
xou ^iat.(TT'f\(Ta.(TCL ra [xspr} rauTa rou (rfi)[j,aTog^ 

The anomalies created by the use of the year of 
S60 days seem to be manifested ; and the incon- 
gruity of the vulgar year with the real, is figura- 
tively expressed in the Hebrew ; for after the first 
revolution of the former, the Sun cannot be in his 



87 



true pkce according to the Calendar ;— His 
progress through the signs having been miscalcu- 
lated, the order oft he seasons must have been in 
a fihort period reversed* The rising and setting 
of the constellation could not be according to 
computation. It would appear, that the text has 
marked these anomalies ; and that they are hitherto 
indicated from the commencement of the second 
civil year, (which took place when the Sun was in 
Cancer y) to the time of the vernal equinox. The 
Sun smites the giants in Ashteroth Karnaim ; that 
is, his place among the constellations, even from 
the first crescent, or first quarter of the lunar 
month, is at variance with the computation, and 
does not agree with the Calendar. The same thing 
is found, as he advances to Lisha, or to Scorpius, 
and as he comes to Shaveh Kariathaim^ or to the 
Equinox ; as he proceeds to Seir, the goat," or as 
it would seem to Capricwn, and thence to A^ies^ 
denoted El Paran, the ram with a decoration on 
his head. 

But Chedorlaomer, and the Kings that were witii^ 
him, returned and came to En Mishpat^ which is 
Kadeshy and smote all the country of the Amale- 



88 



kites, and also the Amorites that dwelt in Haze^ 
zontamar. 

The San, having passed the vernal equinox, 
returns to the upper hemisphere ; but what rela- 
tion does en mishpat, which is generally translated 
the fountain of judgment, bear to the subject, as I 
have hitherto understood the meaning of the text ? 
The proper meaning of en (rather ain^ or oin,) 
is an eye, and it is only metaphorically that it is 
used to signify a fountain. But ain may be also 
figuratively employed for obsermtion, or specula- 
tio7i. The Rabbins often understand it as signi- 
fying speculative knowledge. It seems clear to 
me, that the word corresponded with a hierogly- 
phic ; and w e are informed by Plutarch and Hor- 
Apollo, that an eye was the hieroglyphic, by which 
knowledge was expressed. Without much difficulty, 
then, w^e may translate ain, observation^ or science. 
t35t£^l2 mishpat, is frequently used in Chaldaic as 
signifying astrology. t03t:^D ''^^1 Baali mishpat is 
synonymous with D''3t^K, astrologers. The mean- 
ing then seems to be, they returned and came 
according to the science of astrology, which is 
( Kadesh) a holy thing ; 



89 



And smote all the count rij of the Amalekites, 

The Sun, in his course through the Zodiac, 
ought now to be described as returning to the 
point whence he set out. At the end of the 
second revolution of the civil year, the Sun would 
indeed return to Cancer, whence he had proceeded 
at the commencement of the first year, but he 
would be ten degrees and a half from the place 
where he had then been. The incongruity of the 
civil with the solar year would consequently be 
manifest to astronomers. But how is the return 
of the Sun to Cancer, the sign in which he had 
been at the commencement of the first civil year, 
indicated in the text? Chedorlaomer and his 
allies smote all the country of the Ainalekites ; — 
that is, — all the country of the people of the 
Beetles. See Buxtorf, in mcibus X2V et p^^ ' Now 
it appears from the Zodiacs found at Dendera, that 
the Egyptians denoted the sign of Cancer by two 
beetles. — That the year began when the Sun was 
in that sign, may be proved from the passages to 



* also signifies a locust. 



90 



which I have referred on the subject in my 
*^ Essay on a Punic Inscription." 

And also the Amorites that dwelt in Hazezoyi" 
tamar. 

For the words and )i)^n I refer my reader to 
Parkhurst, only observing that to the last word an 
iotensitive nun is added in the text. 

The literal translation then is — and also the 
upper branches, ( or perhaps the lambs) that abode 
in the division of the palm-tree. 

Now without being able to explain this passage 
entirely to my own satisfaction, I request of my 
reader to consider how far it may relate to astro- 
nomy. Perhaps his better knowledge of the 
astronomy and mythology of the ancient Egypti- 
ans, as well as of their hieroglyphics, will enable 
him to elucidate what remains obscure to me. In 
the mean time I shall offer a very few remarks. 

That groves, trees, and branches of trees, were 
employed as symbols of the starry hosts, of 



91 



constellations, and of asterisms, appears, I think, 
from various monuments. In the planisphere 
exhibited by Kircher, a tree is represented in the 
sign of Virgo. In the Zodiacs of Dendera, Virgo 
is drawn with a palm-branch in her hand. The 
constellation of Cassiopeia is called (j al 

seder, by Ulug Beig, and the seder is a species of 
tree well known in the East. In the Mithraic 
astronomical symbols we always find trees desig- 
nated. The idolators appear to have worshipped 
groves as types of the starry Hosts. And they set 
them up images and grooves in every high hill, and 
under every green tree. ' Manasseh reared up 
altars for Baal, and made a grove, and worship- 
ped all the Host of heaven; — and he set up a 
graven image of the grove which he had made. ^ 
Josiah commanded all the vessels that were made 
for Baal, and for the grove, and for all the Host 
of heaven, to be brought out of the temple, ^ 

The Gentile nations seem to have generally 
entertained the same superstitions concerning trees. 



' 2 Kings, C. 17. * 2 Kings, C. 21. 6 

^ 2 Kings, C. 23. oj. / 



Olim quas vellent esse in tutela stt/t 
Divi legerunt arhores ; Quercus Jovt, 
Et myrtus Veneri placuit, Phceho laurea, 
Pinus Cyhelee, populus celsa Herculi. 

PhcBd. 

Callimaclius says, in addressing Ceres, 

Tibique illic pulchrum lucum posuerunt Pelasgit 
Arboribus undique densum, S^c, 

Lucretius has the following lines : 

Sed nemora, atque cavos monteis sylmsque colebant, 
Etf rut ices inter condebant squalida membra, 
Verbera ventorum vitare imbreisque coacti. 

See the stories in the Edda concerning the Ash 
YgdrasiL 

Pliny says, Ar bores fuere iiuminum templa, 
L. 13. See also Diodorus Siculus, and Lucian, 
concerning the consecrated groves of the Egyptians. 
The Cabbalists represented the 12 signs of the 
Zodiac on the tree of life ; and the Arabians 
typified the starry heavens by a fruit-tree. See 
Kircher's (Edipus, Vol. 2 and 3. Groves and 



93 



trees, then, being considered as symbols of the. 
starry heavens, the upper branches probably 
denoted the constellations at their highest eleva- 
tion. 

It will be remembered, that in the Apocalypse 
the tree of life is represented as growing in the 
street, and as bearing tzvelve fruits, one of which 
it yielded every month. Some have thought that 
an allusion is here made to the Solar walk, where 
are found the 1 2 signs of the Zodiac. 

The palm-tree appears to have been a solar 
symbol. I shall have occasion to say more concern- 
ing it in another place. 

It may, however, be proper to state the words 
of a French writer. Le palmier fut consacr^ aux 
mouvemens celestes, et surtout k la revolution 
annuelle du Soleil; on lui attribuoit autant 
de propriet^s, que I'ann^e a de jours. I think, 
therefore, that we can have no great difficulty 
in understanding what was meant by the 
upper branches, which abode in the division of 
the palm-tree. Amorites is certainly a difficult 



94 



word to interpret. It signifies either teachers, or 
lambs, or upper branches, I am inclined to give 
it the last signification here. But see Castelli in 
mce. 

And there went out the King of Sodom, and 
the King of Gomorrah, and the King of Admah, 
and the King of Zeboiiiny and the King of Beta, 
(the same is Zoar), and they joined battle with 
them in the Vale of Siddim — with Chedorlaomer 
King of Elam, and with Tidal King of Nations^ 
and Amraphel King of Shinar, and Arioch King 
of Illlasar,—four Kijigs with frn. 

The Sun coming round to the point whence he 
set out, is thus figuratively represented as encoun- 
tering the 5 days. 

A7id the Vale of Siddim was full of slime-pits — 

Literally — and the valley of the Siddim, (the 
many- breasted idols of the Moon, worshipped as 
tiie Magna Mater ) wells, wells, of bitumen. But, 
as my reader will find by turning to Stockius, the 
original meaning of Beer, which we always trans- 
late a well, is clearness^ or lustre. Again the word 



95 



•^DTT, which we render hitumen^ and which signi- 
fies muddinesSj is not very unUke to niDrr. Indeed 
Bochart tells us, that an ass is so called from its 
color. Now this may have been the reason why 
the Orientahsts placed asses in the sign of Cancer ^ 
when the Nile is approaching to its height. Most 
certainly the ancient Persians called the Asterism 
in Cancer^ which we call the asses, by the name 
before us. ^ Now I think it very possible, that 
allusion is made to these stars. The commencement 
of the vulgar Egyptian year took place, when the 
Sun was in Cancer; and this may have been the time 
fixed for the intercalation of the 5 days. Beerothy 
Beeroih, Chemor, may then typify the asterism of 
the Asses. But the passage is too obscure for me 
to speak with any pretensions to certainty in 
endeavouring to explain it. 

And the Kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, 
and fell there. It appears that there is some 
confusion in this passage. If these Kings fled^ 
they did not fall there. 

And they that remai7ied fled to the mountain. 



* Consult Ulug Beig. 



96c 



They that remained could scarcely have been 
they that Jled ; but I think the fault lies with 
translators. 

The destruction and defeat of the five Kings 
seem to indicate the period, when the five days 
ought to have been intercalated. 

And they took all the goods of Sodom and 
Gomorrah, and all their mctuals^ and went their 
way. 

0 

But the discovery of the real period of the 
solar year^ did not prevent the use of the civil, 
and of the vague year among the Egyptians. The 
disorder, though perceived, was not remedied, 
except among the learned. 

And they took Lot^ Ahrarns brothers son, who 
dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed, 

tO")^ Lot is so clearly to be traced to vh absconsio^ 
that I cannot doubt the meaning. Uiy^ Abram 
evidently signifies Pater ea^celsus. Now it is 
manifest, that the former is here a type of the 
Moon, and the latter of the Sun. 



97 



The Greeks appear to have taken Lethe, and 
Leto, {Latond) from this word '&> lat, which was 
probably the root of the Latin lateo, &c. The 
Greeks and Latins made Leto, or Latona, a 
female; but, as I have observed elsewhere, the 
Egyptians worshipped the Moon sometimes as a 
male and sometimes as a female Deity. Thus loh^ 
one of the types of the Moon, was a male. It is 
still the Coptic name for the Moon, and is in the 
masculine gender. Ammonius says, KaX yap si 
dprrsnKoog AlyuTrrioi TYjV (rsXTjvrjv oi/oijlol^siu 
s]d)6oL(nv, aXX' cog Trpog rrju yrjv, (oT^aa/) aurr^u 
TTOLpoi^aT^T^oVTsg, ou^ * utto i^yJou ixovov, d\XoL kol) utt 
aurrls (pcori^oixivrjv — -^^ For if the Egyptians, have 
the custom of naming the Moon in the masculine, 
I think it is because they consider her with respect 
to the earth, which is lighted not only by the Sun 
but by her." The Greeks made To a female. 
But there are several things in the story of Lot, 
"the hidden one," which may recal the fables rela- 
ted of other lunar emblems. The Moon was feigned 
under different symbols to have been forcibly 
carried away to the realms of darkness, and to 
have hid herself from the sight of Mortals. Proser- 
pine borne away to Tartarus ; Latona, who hid 

o 



98 



herself in the island of Delos ; lo, who concealed 
herself in the cave of mount Sipylus; and Lot 
" the hidden one," whether carried away by Che- 
dorlaomer^ or dwelling in the cave near to Zoar, 
are all so many astronomical allegories illustrative ' 
of the same thing. 

With respect to the exalted father, I have only 
to observe that this is clearly a Solar title. Accord- 
ing to M. D'Herbelot, the appellation of Father 
was peculiarly and emphatically given to the Sun 
by the Orientalists. 

And there came one that had escaped, and told 
Abram the Hebrew, 

The Hebrew, The word ll^r signifies " one that 
passes over from, or to, a place." Now when we 
come to consider the feast of the Passover, or of 
the Transition, we shall understand, who were 
truly Hebrews, But I reserve this for my remarks 
on the Book of Joshua. 

For he dwelt in the plain of Mamre, 

I translate ^^^j^l, among the oafe;— 'Consult the 



99 



Septuagint. The oak, as is well known, was a tree 
sacred to the Sun. j«i*llDD Mamre, is apparently 
derived from KID, to lift up, to exalt, &c ; but I 
conceive it to be the same in signification with the 
Chaldaic or Dominus, Doctor, &c/ 

The Amor it e. 

I have already noticed the various meanings of 
this word, and must leave my reader to decide for 
himself ; but I am rather inclined to think that the 
Amorite here signifies " an expounder, a teacher, a 
person employed to speak on, or to explain, a 
subject." It is possible, however, that the Amorites 
were those, who first showed the transit of the 
vernal equinox, and consequently of the commence- 
ment of the year, from the sign of the Bull to that 
of the Ram, or Lamb, The Amorites were, there- 
fore, in the beginning, associates with Abram, who 
substituted the Ram as a sacrifice instead of his 
son Isaac. But these Amorites probably became 
afterwards idolators, and worshippers of Ammon, 
or of the Sun in the sign of Aries. 



* See Buxtorf s Chaldaic Lexicon, in pD. 



100 



t'Dti^K EshcoL Rumelin seems to consider this 
word as the same with ^'♦Dt^i^, a mne'branch, I 
would rather derive it from byD, and consider the 
servile aleph as merely formative. I understand it 
to denote an intelligent or scientific person." 

n^); Aner, This is a collocation of letters, which, 
I think, could scarcely have been made by the 
author. I therefore suspect it to be one of those 
names, which the scribes have mutilated. It is clear, 
indeed, that the LXX must have read ^ly. Now 
this word signifies an augur, or astrologer. * 

And these were confederate with Abram, 

But according to the original we must read, and 
these were Baali-Berith of Abram. Now Baal- 
Berith appears to have been one of the Gods of 
the Tsabaists ; * and the Baali-Berith were proba- 
bly idols adored in later times by the apostate 
Israelites. Here, however, they seem to indicate 



' See Buxtorf. * Jud. 8. 33. 



101 



the astronomers, who were employed in correcting 
the Calendar. Baali-Berith have generally been 
understood to signify Lords of the comnant; and 
this has been taken as an idiomatic expression, 
which signifies Covenanters^ or Confederates. In 
the same manner The Lords of Arroxvshdiwe been 
translated Archers. But I suspect, that this is not 
quite accurate. Baali-Berith appear to me to 
signify Lords of purification ; ' or perhaps, rather. 
Lords of Clearness.* They were those by whom 
the exalted father (the Sun) was purified, or 
rendered clear. But if confederates be the sense^ 
the verse may be explained as follows. 

And there came one that had escaped^ and told 
the exalted father, him that passeth omr ; for he 
dzoelt among the oaks of him that teacheth^ 
the instructor, or expounder, brother of him that 
is scientific, and brother of the astrologer ; and 
these xvere confederates (Lords of the Covenant) 
mth the exalted father. 

In spite of the difficulty and perplexity, which 



' See Parkhurst, 



* See Buxtorf, in nn. 



102 



these names present, I cannot help thinking that 
the passage contains an astronomical allegory. 

In the next verse we learn, that the exalted father 
followed with 3 1 8 of his trained servants, born in 
his house, and pursued Chedorlaomer unto Dan. 
This last word is a manifest interpolation. It is 
evident that Moses must have written Laish^ or 
Leshem, ' Laish then was called Laisha by the 
Chaldeans, with the emphatic alepha. But from 
the way in which the word is written in the Book 
of Joshua, I think we ought to trace it to i^^, (not 
to t;''^) a root now lost in Hebrew, but existing in 
Syriac lesha, which signifies destruction. The 
Danites then changed the name from Lesha, 
"destruction," to Z)^zw, ^^justice." Now let usobserve, 
that ScorpiuSy as I have proved elsewhere, was 
the sign of the Zodiac allotted to the tribe of Dan ; 
— that the Chaldeans call the sting of ScorpitiSf 
Lesha ; — and that a name not very dissimilar to 
this may be still found on the celestial globe, 
denoting the sting of Scorpius. 



' Josb. 19. Jud. 18. 



103 



The number 318 is very remarkable. Plutarch 
relates, that a connexion having been discovered 
between Saturn and Rhea, the Sun threatened 
that the latter should not be delivered of a child 
in any month or year. But Mercury, who was 
in love with Rhea, having won from the Moon at 
dice the 20th part of each of her annual lunations, 
composed of them the 5 days, which were added 
to the year, and by which it was augmented from 
360 to 365 days. On these 5 days Rhea brought 
forth Osiris, Arueris, Typhon, Isis, and Nephte. 

I have already endeavoured to show, that these 
5 days were typified by the 5 Kings in the Chapter 
before us. 

We shall find a curious illustration of Plutarch*s 
story in the 318 servants of the exalted father (the 
Sun) born in his own house. By these servants I 
understand days. 

Now the old year being composed of 360 days, 
the 20th part amounts to 1 8 days. Let us then 
take IS lunations at 28 days each, and we shall get 
a period of 336 days. Deduct a 20th part of 



104 



the old year of 360 days from the 12 lunations at 
28 days each, and the remainder will be 318 days. 
The equation may be given as follows. 

28 X 12 — — = 318. 
20 

And he dwided himself against them, he and 
his sew ants by night, and smote them, and pursued 
them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of 
Damascus. 

Hobah signifies " concealment," and Damascus 
is "an angle." 

Now let us suppose that astronomers educated 
in the temple of the Sun, had to correct the errors 
introduced into the Calendar by the omission of 
the 5 days. They would have found at the end of 
the second year, that the Sun did not arrive at the 
Summer solstice, until ten days and a half after the 
computed time. In following the solar course 
from the solstitial to the equinoctial point, they 
would have discovered, that by the omission of the 
five days, the calculation of the Sun's place conti- 



105 



nued to deviate more and more from the truth. 
But in measuring the space from the solstice to the 
equinox, the astronomers would perceive, and might 
correct, the errors made by those, who had limited 
the duration of the year to 360 days. They seem 
really to have done so according to the text. 

The circle is divided into four parts, each consist- 
ing of 90 degrees. It is easy to see whence arose 
this division. Thus in fact the year was divided 
into four parts, and was measured from each 
equinox and from each solstice. The four Kings, 
perhaps, among other significations, for all symbo- 
lical enigmas have many meanings, may represent 
the four quarters of the year. But as 90 days 
only were allotted to each of these quarters, the 
anomalies produced by the omission of the five 
days, typified by the five rebel Kings, would soon 
be obvious. Between the solstice and the equinox, 
the error would amount to about 31 hours and a 
half The astronomers, then, seem to have 
followed the solar course from the summer solstice, 
(when the new year began, when the five days and 
a half should have been, and when they were not, 
intercalated) until the arrival of the Sun in the 



106 



sign of Lesha, or of Scorpius, in which he arrived 
at the Autumnal equinox. By hobah, concealmenty 
(for I derive it from n^ri) I understand the season 
when the Sun passes the equinoctial point." In 
fact the lower hemisphere was typified by mytholo- 
gists as the hiding place of the celestial bodies. 
Hence Saturn, and hence Latona, clearly derived 
their appellations. Hence Latium was named, as 
the spot to which Saturn had retired ; and hence 
the waters of forgetfulness were denominated from 
Lethe, This place of concealment, this Hobahy 
was on the left hand of Damasheky or of the angle. 
May not this be the angle formed by the ecliptic 
with the equator, where they intersect each other 
at the equinoctial point ? 

In the next verse we are told, that he (the 
exalted father) brought back his brother Lot — ^that 
is — the hidden one." 

The astronomers, who had to reform the Calen- 
dar, would find it necessary to correct the calcu- 
lations made concerning the lunar month. A 
period of thirty days being allotted for each month, 



107 



the calculations would be yet falser for the lunar 
than for the solar year. 

It is impossible not to be struck with the passage 
before us, where we find the exalted father bringing 
back Loty the hidden one^ from Hobah^ concealment. 
The three-headed Cerberus, like the triform Hecate, 
was a lunar symbol ; and Cerberus brought back 
to the day by Hercules, appears to be only another 
type of the astronomical fable, which is here 
indicated in the story of Lot. 

In the following verse we are told, that the King 
of Sodom (that is of order, or regularity") went 
out to meet the exalted father at the valley of 
Shaveh, which is the King's dale. 

But Shaveh in Chaldaic signifies the equator ; 
and the true annual period being fixed, the exalted 
father is properly said to have met the King of 
order. 

The purport of the Chapter, as far as we have 
hitherto gone, seems to have been to explain the 
astronomical mysteries of the Egyptians, and to 



108 



show, that the Deities adored by the vulgar were 
merely scientific symbols. It appears, that the 
text is itself a translation from some hieroglyphical 
monument; and I am very far from pretending, 
that I understand all the various meanings and 
bearings of the symbols. It is highly probable, 
that the philosophical secrets concealed in these 
hieroglyphics were reverenced as sacred by those, 
who w^ere inclined to become, or who already were, 
idolaters among the Hebrews. They must have 
seen there almost all the symbols most venerated 
by the Egyptians. They might then have natu- 
rally mistaken them for the types of those very 
Gods, whom their own superstitions were constantly 
prompting them to adore. The sacred lawgiver 
appears to have unfolded the latent meaning of the 
hieroglyphics. He seems to have chosen such 
oral symbols in his own language, as suited the 
painted or sculptured symbols of the monument, 
which he thought proper to explain ; and from 
this explanation it might be evident to the Hebrews, 
that the history of Egyptian theology was to be 
found in the Egyptian calendar. Thus it would 
be proved to their own conviction, that the Gods of 
their idolatry were mere fictions of the brain — 



109 



conventional marks and signs, intended to facilitate 
the acquisition of science to those, who were to be 
initiated in it, and contrived to impede the progress 
of knowledge among those^ who were thought 
unworthy of being intrusted with the mysterious 
secrets of the wise. 

To all those who were capable of comprehend- 
ing it, this lesson from their lawgiver must have 
been deeply impressive. They must have seen, 
that they had been adoring allegories, and worship- 
ping symbols ; and that the religion of the people 
was only valued, inasmuch as it was science among 
the learned. They must have blushed for their 
own infidelity to the God of their fathers, when 
they came to understand who were the Gods of 
Egypt, and when they found, that the births, the 
lives, and the deaths of those Gods, — their victories 
and their defeats — all the changes which they 
underwent, and all the forms which they wore — 
were mere types and emblems, by which the history 
of astronomy was recorded. 

The sacred lawgiver, havhig explained what 
appeal's to have been the hieroglyphical narrative 



110 



of the reform in the Calendar, now introduces a 
type which relates not to human science. Melchize- 
dek, or the Kings of justice, who are the King of 
Salem, that is, the King of Peace, bring forth 
bread and wine, and he is the Priest of God most 
High. But who are these Kings, that are a King ? 
Who is this Priest of God most High—this King 
of Peace, that are the Kings of justice ? In what 
calendar shall we find the answer to these ques^ 
tions ? What mythology contains a likeness to 
this mysterious person, who being more than one 
is one ? Is there no allusion here to the triune 
God, and to the ministry of Christ ? At the period 
fixed, the Prophet seemed to say, when dynasty 
shall have succeeded dynasty among the contend- 
ing and revolutionary Gods of idolatry ; and after 
the Gentile nations have adored age after age, and 
cycle after cycle, the Sun, the Moon, and the hosts 
of heaven ; the true religion shall be revealed, and 
the world shall behold the glorious fabric reared 
on the ruins of a thousand superstitions. Then 
shall mankind turn from their material idols and 
images to contemplate and to acknowledge the 
spiritual existence of a sole and infinite Deity. 
Then it will not be symbols, and devices, and alle- 



Ill 



gories, nor yet the shining and unconscious orbs 
above, nor yet the seasons as they revolve, that 
will be addressed under divine appellations. The 
existence and the order of all things, and the laws 
which govern nature from the world to the atom, 
will be referred to a living source, and to a primeval 
and intelligent cause. The period of the year 
shall be told even to a second ; the march of 
planets shall be calculated ; and the orb of the Sun 
shall be measured. The Moon shall be followed 
from node to node^ and in spite of her wanderings, 
her course shall be known. She shall not hide 
her face that it shall not be predicted, nor rob the 
Sun of his glor}^, that the hour of partial darkness 
shall not be expected. Time shall move as Science 
directs his pace. Nor Sun nor Planets shall 
conceal their distance from our earth; Comets shall 
not wander so far into space, that their return shall 
not be calculated ; nor light fly swift enough that 
its speed shall not be measured. But the Priest of 
God most High shall have offered the expiatory 
sacrifice : The Kings of Justice, who are the King 
of Peace, shall have revealed the true religion: 
the Deity shall be adored as the God of Nature, 
and the works of the Creator shall no more be 



mistaken for Him, who is the cause of their exist- 
ence. 

Such to my humble apprehension appears to 
have been the design of Moses, in placing before 
his readers this mysterious account of Melchizedek. 

I shall now conclude my remarks on this Chap- 
ter by expressing my hopes, that my endeavours to 
elucidate its meaning have not been fruitless. I 
cannot expect that my learned readers will agree 
with me on every topic. Indeed I have seldom 
seen two Hebraists, who read, and who translated, 
two chapters alike throughout the whole Scriptures; 
but it will be a subject of great satisfaction to me, 
if my observations may prepare the way for others, 
who shall be better qualified to carry on similar 
researches. 




De^ Multimammi^ Imag( 



H 



/ 

ADDENDA, 



1. Having left it doubtful in the preceding 
dissertation, whether Amraphel should be trans- 
lated the wonderf ul Lamb, or the separated Lamby 
I think it necessary to add, that the latter appears 
to me to be the proper translation. The word is 
composed of the Chaldaic •iDK and n^S), the n in 

being omissible, as is remarked by Parkhurst. 

2. It has been observed to me, that D'>"'2!i, 
Zeboiim, may signify Tsabaisfs. I am aware, that 
Maimonides and other Rabbins have thus written 
the word. But I am still inclined to think, that 
D^''li{ is a corruption for D^K12J, which I take to 
have been the ancient and regular form of the 
plural of Kli:, of which the usual plural form is 
J11K32i. I observe, that we commonly write Sabaoth 
and Sabeans, (sometimes Zabeans) but the true 
orthography is Tsabaoth^ &c. 



116 



S, I have not been able to find the Persian word 
Gao, or Go, to which I refer Goim. I know not, 
therefore, whether it may not have been written 
with an ain. In all events the word employed 
by the Syrian interpreter shows, that allusion was 
made to Taurus. 

4. It may be proper to acknowledge, that the 
Rabbins do not admit that Melchizedek implies a 
name including a plural form. It must also be 
confessed that Melech, or Moloch, was a very 
common solar title. 

5. From a passage in Sanchoniatho, it may be 
thought, that the Sun was worshipped by the 
Tsabaists under the name of \yh^. My learned 
readers will perceive, from these things, that it is 
possible to come to a different conclusion, from 
that, which I have drawn at the end of the preced- 
ing dissertation. 



in. 

E S S A 



CONCERNING THE 

TABERNACLE AND THE TEMPLE 



It would be difficult to imagine a more singular 
history, than that which relates to the construction 
of the Tabernacle and of the Temple, contained 
in the Old Testament. The Deity is represented 
as giving the pattern of both; as ordering the whole 
furniture ; and as descending to the most minute 
details concerning the arrangement. Nothing is 
left unnoticed by the divine architect, who conde- 
scends to speak with amazing precision and 
familiarity both of the ornaments and of the uten- 
sils, — of lintels, curtains, fringes, rings, tongs, 
tables, dishes, bowls, spoons, and candlesticks. 



120 



This, however, is not all. The Tabernacle and the 
Temple were inhabited by the Deity. The God of 
Nature and of the Universe— the Creator and 
Preserver of all things — the ineffable and primor- 
dial Being, who called into existence all those Suns 
and Planets, which roll through the boundless 
regions of space — the sole God fixed his residence 
on a box made of Shittim wood, and overlaid and 
lined with gold. Upon this box too, the Deity 
was carried about by a barbarous horde of robbers, 
until King Solomon built a temple at Jerusalem, 
w^here the box was deposited, and where Jehovah 
dwelt between the Cherubim. And what were 
these Cherubim? They were whimsical and 
monstrous images, each with four wings, and four 
faces ; the face of a man, the face of a lion, the 
face of an ox, and the face of an eagle. 

The whole of this history, if literally taken, is 
surely very strange and astonishing. There can 
be no doubt, however, that it obtains implicit 
credit among the generality of Christians, who, 
without inquiring into the spirit and character of 
the ancient Oriental writings, are firmly persuaded, 
that facts only are recorded in the books of the Old 
Testament, He^ indeed, who ventures to think 



121 



otherwise, and who holds those books to be chiefly 
typical and allegorical, must expect to meet with 
that sort of reprehension, which zealous men think 
it incumbent to bestow on all, who differ from 
themselves. 

I have often been struck wdth the different 
feelings, which manifest themselves in different 
persons, when questions 'of this nature are dis- 
cussed. I confess myself to be one of those, who 
find it impossible to reconcile the histories related 
in the Old Testament, if literally taken, to my 
notions either of the goodness, or the greatness, 
of God. This is surely a subject of much 
importance; and yet it is managed in a very 
singular manner. No sooner is it started, than 
men of education in general endeavour to get rid 
of it. They seem to fear too rude a shock to 
•their faith ; and for the greater part, it must be 
pretty evident, that the question is one, on which 
few are prepared to speak. But such timidity, or 
such indifference, whichever it be, is Httle worthy 
' of men of understanding. It is true, on the other 
hand, that Superstition has but too many champ- 



U2 



ions and supporters, against whose decisions it is 
not always prudent to appeal. These men, some- 
times vaunting, and sometimes disclaiming, their 
enthusiasm, are indeed at any time sufficient both 
from their numbers, and by their means, to raise 
such a clamor, as must drow n the still voice of 
philosophy in the uproar. Some by their talents 
and learning engage the attention of the wise ; 
others by their zeal and industry confirm the 
prejudices of the weak and ignorant ; some affect 
to reason and persuade ; while others seek to terrify 
and dismay. In their hands is the Press, — that 
guardian of civil liberty in the state — that tyrant 
over free opinion in the Church. With them is 
the cry of the multitude — rwith them the silent 
sanction of the laws. The weapons with which 
they tight are either borrowed from the armory of 
heaven, or forged in the fires of hell. When they 
condescend to reason, their logic is governed by 
rules of its own. Bold assumptions, though con- 
stantly disputed by their adversaries, are yet con- 
stantly repeated by them ; and the entire mis-state- 
ment of an opponent's argument is not with them 
an illegitimate mode of carrying on a controversy. 



123 



But their strength, and none can know it better than 
themselves, lies not in reasoning; and hence the 
scurrilous invective, or the bitter taunt, — the oppro- 
brious epithet, or the scornful sneer,— so often 
supplies the place of the forgotten argument. 

From these champions of superstition, who 
falsely call themselves the friends of religion, I ask 
no indulgence ; but from the real friends of reli- 
gion, from fair and dispassionate men of every 
sect and persuasion, I shall claim a candid investi- 
gation into the merits and demerits of my work, 
before they condemn it. I wish to call the atten- 
tion of men of sense and learning to the interpre- 
tation of a Book, upon which so many think that 
so much depends^ but about which only a few 
choose to allow themselves to reflect or to reason. 

It may be, I admit, historically true, that Moses 
constructed a Tabernacle, and that Solomon built a 
Temple ; but I cannot persuade myself, that the 
Deity inhabited either the one or^the other, or 
that God at any time ceased to be omnipresent to 
the world which he made. I conceive the Taber- 
nacle and the Temple to have been types of the 



universe, which is the true abode of the Godhead, 
Typically speaking, then, the Tabernacle and 
Temple were the residence of the Divine Majesty ; 
and, in truth, it seems to me inconceivable, that 
men in an age like this should seriously believe, 
that the sacred writers meant literally, that the God 
of the Universe was cooped up in a Temple at 
Jerusalem, or any where else. 

It is to be observed that God ordained the 
pattern of the temple ; by which I understand that 
the sacred writers intended to say, in their usual 
allegorical manner, that the Universe was formed 
after the exemplar in the divine mind. 

We shall find upon examination, that every thing 
belonging to the temple served as a symbol ; and I 
am convinced that when these symbols are consi- 
dered, there will remain no doubt of the temple 
itself being a type of the universal system. In 
fact it seems to me, that by this manner of viewing 
the subject, we obtain an infinitely more exalted 
notion of the ideas of the Jewish writers concerning 
theology, than we could possibly entertain, while 
we followed the literal interpretation. Who, 



125 



indeed, that has any just notions of the Supreme 
Being, can believe that the Deity did in fact either 
sit down to breakfast with Abraham, or talk to 
Moses about pans, and shovels, and fleshhooks, and 
firepans ? Who can believe, that the eternal and 
unchangeable God did that in anger one day, for 
which he was sorry the next ? If these things be 
taken literally, there can be nothing more incon- 
sistent with true theology ; and most surely we 
should be the first to laugh, if an Indian were to 
tell us that his God was so very apt to change his 
mind. 

I am equally persuaded, that the accounts, 
which we have of the Tabernacle and of the Temple, 
are mere allegories. Will God indeed dwell on 
the earth 9 Behold the heaven, and heaven of 
heavens cannot contain thee : hoxv much less this 
house that I have buildedf' This language of the 
Royal Sage is at once reasonable and sublime, and 
sufficiently shows that Solomon did not believe, 
that the omnipresent Deity dwelt in a cloud over 
the ark. This cloud, which was probably produced 
by the smoke from the censersj filled the house, 



126 



and vvas the emblem of that spiritual intelligence, 
which pervades the universe. 

I shall now proceed to examine the various 
symbols, which were contained in the Tabernacle 
and in the Temple. I shall first consider the images 
called the Cherubim. 



1. These singular images have been fully described 
by Ezekiel. I have observed elsewhere, that the 
four faces answered to four signs of the Zodiac — 
that of the Man, to Aquarius ; that of the Lion, 
to Leo ; that of the Otr, to Taurus ; and that of 
the Eagle, (which emblem was assumed by Dan in 
place of Scorpius,) to the accursed sign repre- 
sented sometimes by a Basilisk, and sometimes by 
a Scorpion, These four signs are in opposite parts 
of the heavens ; and when astronomy was first 
cultivated in the East, the two Solstices, and the 
two Eguinoa-es took place, when the Sun was in 
those signs. 

Aben Ezra says distinctl}', that the four emblems 



127 



of Reuben, Judah^ Ephraim, and Dan, were the 
same with the four faces of the Cherubim. Now 
we have seen in a former Dissertation, that the 
emblems of those four leaders in the camp of the 
Hebrews, answered to the above-mentioned signs 
of the Zodiac. 

Philo Judasus, in speaking of these images, 
seems to consider them as astronomical symbols. 
" Now let us consider,'' says that learned Jew, 
" what may be subindicated by the Cherubim, and 
Jlaming sword turning ewry way. What, if 
this ought to be thought the circumvolution 
of the whole heavens?'' — -Again — ''But of 
the flaming sword turning every zvay^ it may be 
thus understood to signify the perpetual motion of 
these ( the Cherubim ) and of the whole heavens. 
But what if it be taken otherzvise ? — so that the 
two Cherubim signify both hemispheres &c. 
pp. Ill, and 112. 

The Cherubim are thus noticed by Clemens 
Alexandrinus, the most erudite of the Christian 
Fathers. Moreover there are those golden images. 
Each of them has six wings, whether they typify 



128 



the Wo Bears, as some will ham it, or, which is 
better, the two hemispheres. The name, iyideed, 
of Cherubim would express great knowledge. But 
both ham twehe wings, and thus through the 
circle of the Zodiac, and of self-carrying time, 
they typify the world perceived by the senses, 

It mustnoWj I think, be obvious, that the sacred 
writers never meant to say literally that Jehovah 
dwelt between the golden images, called the Cheru- 
bim, in the Temple of Jerusalem. To me, at least, 
it appears that they spoke figuratively, and really 
meant to represent the Deity as every where 
residing through the infinity of space. 

In one of the psalms we find the following 
verse. 

And he rode upon a Cherub, and did fly ; yea, 
he did fly on the wings of the wind. 

There may be readers who think this very fine. 
For my part I pretend, that such readers have 



- Strom. L. 5, 



129 



mistaken the sense. It by no means appears a 
fine image to me, to say, that the God of the 
Universe is flying on the wings of a current of 
air, over any tract of country on the surface of 
our little globe. I am of opinion that the word 
mi ruah does not signify the zvind, but the spirit 
Then to fancy God riding on a chei^ub, as the 
word is commonly understood, offers no very 
sublime conception. What, if we consider the 
verse with reference to the explanations, which we 
have just received from Philo and Clemens ? It 
appears to me, that the image will then be sublime 
indeed. 

We are told by St. John, that round about the 
throne of God there were four beasts full of eyes 
before and behind — that these beasts were like a 
lion, a calf, a man, and an eagle — and that these 
four beasts had each six wings. Now it is plain 
enough, that these are no other than the Cherubim 
described by Ezekiel. But who can imagine, that 
such animals are really placed round the throne of 
the Almighty? We might as well suppose that 
the Lamb of God was any thing else than a symbol. 
The faces of the Cherubim are evidently types of 

I 



130 



the four signs of the Zodiac mentioned above. 
These are properly said to be round the throne of 
God ; for to the Suns and worlds of a thousand 
systems, from equinox to equinox, and from 
solstice to solstice, the Deity, whose domicile is 
the Universe, and whose throne is the Heavens, is 
always present. To him all created nature is 
typified as chanting forth praise, and the celestial 
Hosts are figuratively represented as hailing the 
Creator, the Word, and the Spirit, in union, the 
threefold holy one, Lord God of Tsabaoth. It 
appears to me then, that the Cheimbim typified the 
spiritual influences, which, proceeding from the 
Deity, produce the order and march of the celes- 
tial bodies. These influences were represented by 
the man Aquarius, in which the Sun descended to 
the lowest point — by the Lion, in which he ascended 
to his highest elevation — by the Eagle (assumed 
instead of Scorpius) when the orb of day began 
to sink from the upper hemisphere — and by 
Taurus, when the Sun rose from the lower hemi- 
sphere. 

The Egyptians had images with the heads of 
different animals, which seem to have served as 



131 



astronomical symbols. The simulacrum of Serapis, 
mentioned by Macrobius, was of this description, 

2. Of all the Jewish symbols, the Ark is, 
perhaps, the most mysterious. I cannot help 
remarking, however, that a similar symbol was not 
unknown to the Egyptians. Plutarch tells us that 
the body of Osiris was inclosed in a chest, or ark, 
in the month of Athyr, when the Sun was in 
Scorpius ; and the people annually held a great 
festival at this season of the year, when the cere- 
mony of inclosing Osiris in the chest, or ark, was 
represented. Now it probably will not escape the 
notice of my readers, that the Israelites were 
defeated by the Philistines, after they had taken the 
Ark out of Shiloh, where it had been deposited. 
But Shiloh, as has been shown in a former disser- 
tation, was the name of an asterism in the sign of 
Scorpius, The Egyptians also held, that the body 
of Apis was placed in an ark ; and Varro gives 
the following curious etymology of Serapis. Quia 
area, in qua positus er at Apis, Greece seu jEgypti- 
ace dicitur a-opo^, unde XopoLirig, quasi area Apis^ 
deinde, una literd mutatd, ^spaTris dictus est ; ille 
aiitem bos, quern pene attonitd x>enerationeJEgyptus 



132 



in ejus honorm alebat, non Serapis, sed Apis 
t'Ocabatur, quoniam cum sine area vivum venera- 
batur. Clemens Alexandrinus speaks nearly to 
the same purpose. ' There is a curious passage 
which Kircher cites from Rossi ; and from it the 
notions of the idolators concerning the Ark may 
be inferred. Cum verd projiceretit aiirum in 
ignem, in cuppam fusoriam^ sen melius in modulos^ 
xenerunt Magi^ Arab et Rab, qui ascenderunt 
cum jiliis Israel ex JEgypto^ et fecerunt mtuluin 
arte magica, dicentes^ — Ubiest Deus iste qui egres- 
sus est de medio operis lateritii, (V)fyi I rather 
think means the payiyients of tribute ) in quo exe?'^ 
eitabuntur Jilii Israel in JEgypto^ etfuit in manu 
ejus nomenet lamina^ in qua Moses scripserat hcec 
'verba^ rhv-^^^ Thv, ascejide bos, ascende bos, ut 
ascendere faceret in iis ARC AM Joseph e medio 
Nili ; et his diet is prcjecerunt in medium cupellce 
fusorice, et egressus est miulus. It will be recollect- 
ed, that the ancient Jewish idolators held Joseph to 
have been no other than Apis ;^ and the Bull, 
beyond doubt, was the symbol of that Patriarch. It 



* Stroma L. I. * See Kirch. (Ed. VoL 1. p. 197- 



133 



is pretty clear then, that the ancient Egyptian and 
Jewish idolaters considered the Ark as a symbol 
of their own erroneous superstitions. When the 
Sun, in the sign of Scorpius, descended to the lower 
hemisphere, they mourned his imaginary death, 
and feigned that their God had gone down to 
Hades. It was then, that Osiris, or his symbol, 
Apis, was said to be inclosed in an Ark. On the 
seventeenth of the month the ceremony of his 
being inclosed in this Ark took place ; and, on the 
third day after, the Priests again opened the Ark, 
and pretended to find the lost Osiris* But the 
accounts of the Greeks are very confused on this 
subject. From some passages we might be led to 
imagine, that the death of Osiris was fixed at the 
Winter Solstice, and his resurrection at the Vernal 
Equinox. In all events we easily see, why the 
Ark w^as a symbol held in so much veneration by 
the idolatrous worshippers of the Sun. It is not 
so easy to determine at first sight, though we shall 
soon see the reason, why it was figuratively made 
the residence of Jehovah. The venerable St. 
Chrysostom tells us, that the Ark^iad its origin 
from the rudeness of the Gentiles, There can be 
no doubt, indeed, that an Ark, as I have already 



134 



stated, was an object of reverence among the 
heathens. Plutarch says, (in describing the Ark 
which was supposed to contain Osiris,) that the 
Stolistce, together with the Priests, carried about 
the sacred chest, which contained a golden arh. In 
like manner Apuleius ^ mentions a chest which 
w^as carried by a priest in the religious ceremonies 
of the Egyptians. Pausanias^ informs us that the 
simulacrum of Bacchus was found in an aj^k, which 
was said to be the xvork of V ulcaii, and which was 
ihegift of Jupiter to Darda7ius, It appears from 
Eusebius ' that the Phoenicians had an ark, or chest, 
before which they celebrated the mysteries of the 
Cabiri, Suidas seems ^ to indicate that chests, or 
arks, were sacred to Bacchus, and to the Goddes- 
ses, Ceres and Proserpine. 

But the reason why an ark was adopted as a 
sacred emblem by Jehovah may be explained in 
this way. The temple was a type of the Universe, 
and every thing in it was intended to show, that 



» L. 2. * L. 7. ^ Praep. Evang. L. 2. 
* In voce Ki(rro(p6§os, 



135 



Jehovah was no local or national God, who was 
less than the Lord of all things. This supreme 
and spiritual ruler had been worshipped^ as 
Cudworth has proved^ from the most remote anti- 
quity by the learned Egyptians. Now we shall 
find that there was a reason, why the Ai^k might 
be properly taken as a symbol, and why Jehovah 
should be figuratively said to dwell upon the Ark, 
and between the Cherubim. Synesius, speaking 
of the Egyptian hierophants, observes that they 
have Kwixaa-Trjpia, which are arks, concealing, they 
say, the spheres, &c. Now a type, w'hich repre- 
sented the Deity as dwelling above the spheres, is 
one that can easily be reconciled both to reason 
and to religion. It will be said by some literal 
reader, that there was nothing contained in the Ark 
but the ten commandments ; but the text on which 
this assertion is founded, I believe to be an inter- 
polation. If nothing had been in the Ark, but 
two stones, with a few sentences ingraved upon 
them which were known to every one, where w ould 
have been the crime of looking into the Ark? 
There was clearly a mystery, which was to be kept 
from the people, and I think, I may now assert, 
that the Ark and the Cherubim, were both symbols^ 
which tend to prove my general proposition, that 



136 

the Tabernacle and the Temple were types of the 
universal system, of which IMoses, who was learned 
in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, seems to have 
had a very distinct notion. 

3. I have probably already so much offended 
the literal translators, that, if any have begun to 
read my observations, it is very unlikely that any 
have read thus far. Why should not the God that 
has created, and who governs, ten millions of worlds 
— why should not that infinite Being condense 
himself into a cloud, and sit upon a box made of 
Shittim wood, overlaid and lined with the precious 
metal, gold ? Go, ask, ye wise men, though 3'e 
be not of the East — go, ask of all Nature. 

The next symbol of which I shall take notice 
is the table. For the description of it, my reader 
will of course consult his Bible. Clemens Alex- 
andrinus thus explains the symbol. But the table, 
as I thi?iky sig}iijies the image of the earth ; it is 
sustained by four feet, anstvering to the Summer, 
Autumn^ Spring, and Winter^ by which the year 
proceeds, &c. ' 



' Strom. L. 6. 



137 



4. The Shew bread. Of this bread there were 
twelve loaves, which were placed upon the table. 
Josephus tells us distinctly, that these twelve loaves 
were typical of the twelve months of the year. * 

5. The golden candlestick with seven lamps. 

This symbol is thus explained by Clemens. But 
moreover the candlestick was placed on the south 
of the altar of incense, by which weix manifested 
the motions of the seven luminaries making their 
revolutions in the south— for there are three, 
branches inserted into the candlestick on each side^ 
and upon them are lamps ; because the Sun, even 
as the candlestick, being also placed in the midst 
of the other planets, imparts light both to those 
above him^ and to those below him, according to a 
certain divine harmony. * 

6. The bowls, knops, and flowers. 

These were all astronomical emblems. J osephus 



' Antiq. Jud. L. 3. 



* Strom. L. 5. 



138 



says, that the candlestick was divided into 70 parts, 
answering to the number of the Decans. The 
number of Decans in this instance must conse- 
quently be calculated upon the plan, Avhich I have 
pointed out in my observations on the Book of 
Judges. 

7. The mil 

Speaking of this, Clemens says, that it was 
distinguished by the variety of the blue, purple^ 
scarlet, and linen ; and that it therefore typified, 
that the nature of the elements is, in effect, a 
revelatiojifrom God ;— for the purple comes from 
the water — the linen from the earth — and the blue 
is assimilated to the air when dark, as the scarlet 
is to fire. ' Josephus speaks to the same purpose. 
The veil, says he, zvhich is zvoven of four colors, 
manifests the nature of the elements. The byssm 
(B6(r(rog) seems to typify the earthy because linen 
(x/vov) springs from it ; the purple, the sea which 
is purpled xvith the blood of the murex ; by the 



* Strom. L. 5. 



139 



blue the air is signified ; and the scarlet ( or crim- 
son ) is to be considered as the symbol of jire, ' 

8. The molteri sea — a type of the hemisphere. ^ 

9-^ The chapiters of the pillars of Solomon^ s 
temple. 

These have been shown by Hutchinson to have 
been a kind of Orreries, representing the motions 
of the planets, &c. ' 

10. The pomegranates* — These were emblems 
of the fixed stars. * 

11. If we now examine the dress of the High 
Priest, we shall find that it suited the plan and the 
type, according to which I pretend the temple was 
built. Let us hear Clemens Alexandrinus. But 
the long robe of the High Priest is a symbol of 



' Antiq. Jud. L. 3. ^ See Josephus. 

^ See Parkhursi, in voce — mna. ^ See Parkhurst, in voce pon. 



140 



the world perceptible to sense* The Jive gems^ 
and the txvo carbuncles, are symbols of the seven 
planets, — the tzvo last are for Saturn and the 
Moon; — since the former is to the souths and 
humid, and earthy, and of a heavy aspect; and 
the other is airy, for which reason its name 
'^Aprsixig is by some complained ^Asporoixos, or air* 
cutter: But the air, or atmosphere, is obscure, &c.^ 

The same writer informs us, that the number of 
bells attached to the Priest's robe amounted to 366, 
equal to the days of the year, of which the bells 
were symbohcal. But the learned Father should 
have observed, that the year here implied was not 
the solar but the sidereal year, which last contains 
366 days. In fact we find that the bells were placed 
alternately with the pomegranates, which were 
types of the fixed stars. 

The same Clemens shortly afterwards tells us, 
that the bright emeralds upon the ephod typify 
the Sun and Moon ; and that the txvelve precious 



» Strom. L. 5= 



141 



stones, arranged in four rows, describe to us the 
zodiacal circle, relatively to the four changes 
( seasons ) of the year. 

Josephus gives us a somewhat different account 
of these emblems ; but still it is evident, that he 
considered them as typical of the general system 
of Nature. The tunic of the High Priest, says 
he, since it was of linen, represents the earth; 
but the blue the pole of heaven — the lightnings 
were indicated by the pomegranates, — the thunders 
by the sound of the bells ; &c. He then observes, 
that the la-a-rivri in the middle of the ecpaTrrl^, and 
the zone with which it \vas girded round, signified 
the earth and the ocean. But, continues the 
Jewish Antiquary, the two sardonyxes, with which 
the pontifical garment is clasped, denote the Sun 
and the Moon ; but whether any one wish to refer 
the twelve stones to the twelve months, or to the 
same number of stars (constellations) in the 
circle, which the Greeks call the Zodiac, he will 
not wander far from the true meaning, ' 



* Antiq. Jud. L, 



142 



12. The Tabernacle has been styled, and not 
inaptly, a portative temple. Now it appears that 
the Tsabaists had also these portative temples, by 
which they represented the material system of the 
Universe. Ye have bofme the tabernacle of your 
Moloch and Chiim, your images, the star of your 
God. ' The idol of Moloch is described by 
Kimchi ; and a curious account of it, extracted 
from the book Jalkut, may be found in Buxtorf. 
This idol, according to Kimchi, had the head of a 
bull ; and in the body were seven cells, or recep- 
tacles, filled with fire. It seems to have been the 
exact prototype of the idol of Saturn at Carthage, 
described by Diodorus ; for its arms were extended 
over a chasm filled with fire which gaped before 
it, and the children to be immolated were placed 
on the arms. But Moloch , or Rei\ was a type of 
the solar heat and light, diffused through the planet- 
ary system. The Tsabaists, then, had tabernacles 
which were types of the Universe materially 
considered ; and here lay their error. There were 
evidently two sects in ancient Egypt. The first 



Amos, C. 5. 



143 



taught a sublime, and, I believe, the true system of 
theology, on which the ideal system of Plato was 
afterwards built, though the Grecian sage seems 
not to have always clearly comprehended his 
Egyptian masters. This sect referred the whole 
existence of the sensible world to what is perceived 
and understood. Another, and probably a more 
numerous sect supported the doctrine of materia- 
lism ; and it is against these hyloists, that the 
Priests and Prophets of Judea seem to me always 
to inveigh. The Tsabaists were hyloists, who 
held that the celestial bodies moved through space, 
and preserved order and regularity in all their 
motions, by their own energies, and by powers, 
properties, and qualities, existing in themselves. 
To these material powers and properties they 
accordingly and consistently offered their homage ; 
for if matter can govern itself by its own laws, 
there is no occasion for the interference of a spiri- 
tual director and preserver. If we say, that the 
material energy is a vis insita, it is a shift and a 
subterfuge, (if it be not, indeed, a contradiction,) 
to call that vis insita a vis iinpressa. It seems 
then, that the Tabernacles, or portative Temples, 
of the Tsabaists were types of the material 



144 



Universe, and that the Elohini there represented 
were mere emblems of material powers and proper- 
ties ; whereas in the Tabernacle or portative 
Temple, constructed by Moses, the Universe w^as 
indeed typified, but typified as governed and 
pervaded by the infinite immaterial Being, of whose 
agency there can be no cessation. The literal 
interpreters have mistaken the type for the thing ; 
and have, in my humble opinion, most erroneously 
supposed, that the God of the Universe was carried 
about in a Tabernacle, or portative temple, fashi- 
oned by human hands. The tabernacle seems to , 
me to have been nothing else, than a sensible and 
material symbol, which was intended to represent 
the universal system, of which the ideal and imma- 
terial exemplar is in the eternal contemplation of 
the Deity, who, according to that exemplar, called 
the Universe into existence, and preserves and 
sustains that which he hath created. 

13. The conversations which are stated to have 
taken place between the Summum Numen, and 
Moses and David, concerning the Tabernacle and 
the Temple, appear to me altogether astonishing, 
if the sacred writers were not speaking allegori- 



145 



cally. I have little doubt, that both the Taber- 
nacle and the Temple were built in imitation of the 
temples already constructed by the Egyptians. It 
appears from Lysimachus (cited by Josephus 
against Apion) that the Egyptians had many 
temples, ere the Israelites crossed the Red Sea. 
There was a Priest of On, and probably that Priest 
worshipped his God in a temple. In fact, Diodorus 
Siculus says, that the temple at HeliopoUs was of 
extreme antiquity. I observe besides, that the 
Egyptian temples were furnished nearly in the 
same manner as the temple of Jerusalem. Clemens 
Alexandrinus ' mentions the splendor of the 
Egyptian Temples, the Porches, Vestibules, Courts 
surrounded with columns, the gold, silver, amber, 
the precious stones, &c ; and what is yet more 
striking, the veils which concealed the Oracles. 
Now at no period do I believe that the Egyptians 
would have copied from the Hebrews any of their 
emblems, or ornaments, much less would they 
have followed, in the construction of their temples, 
the example of a people, with whom they held it to 



» P^edag. L, 3. C. 2« 
K 



146 



be an abomination to eat* Ages before Clemens, 
Herodotus had spoken of the Oracles in the 
Egyptian temples, and the Oracle, or call it an 
adytum, of a Pagan temple could not be very 
unlike to that part of the Temple of Solomon, 
which the Jews call the Dabir, Josephus ' says, 
that there was no door in the Jewish temple to the 
West; and, I believe, it is said in the Gemara, 
that the crate of the Tabernacle was to the East. 
Now we learn from Porphyry, (de antro nympha- 
rum) that the Egyptians built their temples with 
the door towards the rising Sun, and this seems 
to have been peculiar to the Jews and Egyptians. 
But I have no doubt, that the Tsabaists always 
endeavoured to symbolise the material heavens in 
the construction of their temples; and this, I think, 
even appears from the observations of Vitruvius, ^ 
The emblems, contained in the Jewish temple, 
could not have been very unlike to those in the 
Egyptian temples. We have seen, that the Jewish 
Ark resembled sufficiently the Egyptian Ark, in 



' De bel. Jud. L. 5. C. 5. * L. 4. C. 5. 



147 



which the hierophant kept the emblems of the 
celestial spheres. With respect to the Cherubim^ 
I have little doubt, that similar images existed in 
the Egyptian temples ; and I think it may have 
been to such an image that Apuleius alludes, when, 
in describing'the Egyptian Pomp, he says— gerebat 
alius gremio suo summi sui Numinis "verier andam 
effigiem^ non pecoris, non avis, non fercE, ac ne 
hominis quidem ipsius consimilem, sed solerti 
repertu, ipsa etiam nomtate re'oerendam. It is 
pretty plain, that Apuleius did not know what to 
make of this image ; but it is equally plain, that 
he here indicates all the figures represented in the 
images of the Cherubim, We are told, that the 
quadrangular altar in the Temple of Jerusalem 
had its four corners projected in the shape of horns. * 
Now the fashion of such an altar was not uncom- 
mon among the Gentiles, 

ISec TrivicB templo molles laudentur lories^ 
Dissimuletque Deum cornibus ara frequens. 

Mart, 



» Jos. de bel. Jud. L. 6. C. 5, 



148 



Miror et inniimeris structam de cornibus aram. 

Ovid. 

The worship of Apis, or Mnetis, among the 
Egyptians probably first suggested the notion of 
making altars with horns ; and this seems to afford 
some proof, that the temple, or tabernacle of the 
Hebrews, was formed after an Egyptian model. 
From whom, indeed, but from the Chaldeans and 
Egyptians, could the Israelites have got those 
curious mechanical representations of the motions 
of the heavenly bodies, which, (as Mr. Hutchinson 
has proved,) were placed on the tops of the Pillars 
called Jachin and Boaz ? If, indeed, the Taber- 
nacle and the Temple had not been constructed 
after the models of Egyptian temples, it seems 
difficult to account for the numerous astronomical 
symbols, which were placed in them by Moses and 
Solomon. 

14. I have omitted to mention the palm-trees, 
the Urim and Thummim, and some other astrono- 
mical emblems. I conceive, indeed, that I have 
said enough to show, that the Tabernacle and 
Temple were types of the universal system. 



149 



As I am not aware, however, that any other person 
has suggested this notion, I wish to argue the 
question no more at present. If I be wrong, let 
it be -shown, how all the astronomical emblems, 
which I have already mentioned, were introduced 
into the Temple. Whether, or not, I be correct 
in my references to ancient writers, may be easily 
determined by turning to them ; and I can only 
say, that if, in the various reading which I was 
obliged to go through, I have made any mistakes, 
I am certain that no mistakes have been made by 
me, with the intention of misleading my readers. 
I fairly confess, that I consider the style of the Old 
Testament to be altogether figurative ; and it seems 
to me not a little strange, that Christians should 
think it necessary to insist upon literal interpreta- 
tions with the same zeal as if they were Jews. It 
may satisfy the vanity of the Jews to make it be 
believed, that the Deity actually abode in the 
Tabernacle, or Temple, which their ancestors 
constructed for his residence ; but I do not see 
why Christians should think themselves obliged to 
maintain so monstrous a proposition. When the 
Christian looks into the Hebrew Bible for the 
prophecies concerning Jesus Christ, he does not 



150 



hesitate to throw aside the shackles which the Jews 
would impose on him ; and he finds abundance of 
types illustrative of the truths, for which he is 
seeking. But this is to admit, that the Hebrew 
Bible is a typical book ; and if it be so, why should 
we not reason freely concerning what may be true, 
and what may be typical P When we meet with 
passages, that either are, or seem to be^ irreconcile- 
able to reason, M^hy should we not exercise reason, 
in examining whether the author be speaking 
symbolically, or not ? When Isaiah, for example, 
describes his vision of God in the temple, it seems, 
to me at least, that he spoke typically. Let us 
suppose the temple to be the type of the universe, 
and then surely the vision of Isaiah will appear in 
a very different light from what it must do, if the 
Jewish place of worship were literally meant. We 
know that wings were the hieroglyphic, by which 
the Egyptians expressed spirit and intellect ; and 
that a serpent was the sy mbol by which they denoted 
the revolutions of the stars. Now Seraphim signi- 
fies serpents, or rather Jiei^y serpents. Instead then 
of understanding the Prophet to say literally, that 
he had seen God in the Temple of Jerusalem, 
surrounded by strange winged creatures, I suppose 



151 



him to mean typically that he contemplated the 
Deity presiding over the universe, and surrounded 
by those spiritual intelligences, which emanate from 
him, which guide the orbs of heaven in their paths, 
and which hail him the threefold holy one, Lord of 
the celestial hosts. In like manner, when Ezekiel 
describes the glory of Jehovah as filling the temple, 
and relates all the wonders of the Cherubim and 
their zvheels, I cannot possibly conceive him to be 
speaking literally. We have, indeed, already seen, 
that the Cherubim were types of the spiritual influ- 
ences, which conduct the revolutions of the stars 
from solstice to solstice, and from equinox to equi- 
nox ; but the word gilgal, which we translate 
a wheel, also signifies the revolving heavens. Thus 
our translators properly have written in another 
place, the voice of thy thunder was in the heaven ; 
and the word answering to heaven in the original is 
gllgal 

I shall now leave it to my readers to judge^ 
whether they ought, or not, to believe, that the 
sacred writers literally meant to represent the Deity 
as residing in a temple, on a box of Shittim wood, 



152 



between two monstrous images with the faces of 
a man, a lion, a bull, and an eagle, with six, or 
four wings, and with the feet of an ox. If there 
be those who can believe this, I must be permitted 
to address them in the words of a Greek philoso- 
pher — to oL^JLaQslg av6pa)7roi, ^i^a^ST£ r^if^oig, rl srrriu 
0 Osog su To7g molg a7rQ>csx7^si<r[JLSVog ; — O unin- 
striicted men! will you teach usy what is the God 
shut up in temples? 



IV. 



ON THE 

BOOK OF JOSHUA. 



The passage of the Israelites into the promised 
land, the extirpation of the original inhabitants, 
and the distribution of the country among its new 
possessors, are the principal events recorded in the 
Book of Joshua. There are few persons, I believe, 
who allow themselves to reflect, or to reason, who 
have not been struck with the extraordinary exam- 
ples of violence, injustice, and cruelty, which are 
here represented, not only as permitted, but as 
approved and sanctioned, by the will of the Deity. 
It is not for mortals to scrutinise too exactly the 
mysterious plans, which, according to the sacred 



156 



writers, have been adopted by Providence; but it 
is impossible, at the same time, to dissemble, that the 
violation of every principle of justice and humanity 
only appears more terrible, when it is said to be 
authorised by the Supreme Being. The inhabi- 
tants of Canaan had remained for ages in quiet 
possession of the country, when it was suddenly 
overwhelmed and laid waste by the robbers of 
Israel, who, not satisfied with taking possession of 
the property of others, burned the cities, and massa- 
cred the people. If there be law, or right, or 
justice in the world, it seems difficult to excuse, 
much more to justify, such atrocities ; and when, 
for all answer^ we are told, that these horrors were 
perpetrated by the express command of God 
himself^ we must either believe and renounce the 
use of our reason, or disbelieve and abandon the 
professions of our faith. 

I cannot help thinking, that we generally bring 
ourselves into this dilemma, by adhering too closely 
to the literal sense of the scriptures. The writings 
of the Orientalists, (and those of their historians 
are not to be excepted) frequently abound in alle- 
gory. The histories of the ancient Egyptian dynas- 



157 



ties, of their Gods and their Kings, are chiefly 
allegorical; and the same thing may be said of the 
sacred books of the Chaldeans, the Persians, and 
the Indians. In the ancient legends of all nations, 
indeed, the judicious critic will expect to meet with 
a mixture of truth and fiction — of fact and fable ; 
but among the Orientalists this does not result 
more from the uncertainty of tradition, than from 
the taste, which so generally prevails in the East, 
for figurative language, for symbolical expressions, 
and for allegorical descriptions. We see from 
their cabbala, that the Jews were no strangers to 
types and enigmas ; nor does it seem unreasonable 
to suppose, that their historians followed the exam- 
ple of all the East, in blending in their narratives 
real with fictitious events, and in veihng important 
lessons to mankind, whether in morals, or in science, 
under the guise of recorded facts. 

To those, who are strangers to the manners and 
customs of the East, and who are unacquainted 
with the notions of the Orientalists concerning the 
art of writing, the statement which I have made 
may appear singular and paradoxical. The mixture 
of allegory with history, above all, must appear an 



\ 



158 



improbable and unnatural association to those, 
whose reading has been limited to the chaster 
productions of European authors, and who have 
formed their notions of the object, character, and 
utility of history, from the models in that kind of 
writing, which we are the most accustomed to 
admire. In turning, however, to the remnants of 
ancient Oriental history, we shall quickly perceive, 
that our own notions of style, and our own laws of 
composition, could never have served as rules to 
the authors of those interesting works. Most of 
what we know concerning the astronomy of the 
Egyptians has been gleaned from the histories of 
their fictitious Gods and Kings : — To believe, that 
these were real personages, can only be excused to 
infancy or to dotage. The Zendavesta instructs us 
in the science bf the Persians ; and the Vedam in 
the wisdom of the Brahmans ; and he, who would 
look in either for a true and simple relation of 
facts, had better satiate his credulity, by believing 
in the voyages of Gulliver, or in the stories of the 
Arabian Nights. In the fragments of Sanchonia- 
tho, w^e find rude traces of the notions of the 
Phoenicians concerning cosmogony; unless, indeed, 
we believe, that the historian was in good earnest, 



159 



when he related, as a fact, the marriage of Ourams 
with Ghe, — of the Heavens with the Earth. 

The attention of mankind in the East was early 
directed to the study of astronomy • and accord- 
ingly we find, that many of the pretended histories 
of the Orientalists are merely astronomical records. 
The knowledge of the stars was, indeed, of the 
utmost importance to a people approaching by 
gradual steps to civilization. Agriculture and 
navigation have never succeeded, where astrono- 
mical science has remained uncultivated ; and the 
necessity of fixing the seasons according to true 
time must soon be felt by men, when they quit the 
savage for the social state, and depend for subsist- 
ence on the produce of the soil. Accordingly the 
observation of the heavens, and the regulation of 
the Calendar, appear to have engaged the atten- 
tion of the earliest legislators ; and the first agri- 
culturists were probably the first practical astrono- 
mers. As the wants of men increased in propor- 
tion to their progress in civilization, and as commer- 
cial speculators began to navigate the seas, the 
necessity of being acquainted with astronomy must 
have become every day more evident ; and under 



160 



all these circumstances we cannot wonder at the 
sedulous attention, which was given to this science 
in climates the best adapted to its study. 

There seem, however, to have been other 
causes, which contributed to render the knowledge 
of the stars the most important of all acquirements 
in the eyes of the Orientalists. The proposition 
may seem too general, but I believe it to be true, 
that man cannot exist in a social state without a 
religion of some sort ; and the human mind cannot 
easily rest satisfied without assigning extraordinary 
effects to supernatural causes. But where men 
are to seek for God in the book of nature, we must 
expect them to stumble on a thousand errors, and 
to indulge in a thousand superstitions, before they 
discover the truth. As the events, which excite 
their surprise, are various, and as the effects which 
they contemplate are different; they look for many 
separate causes, fancy the influence of distinct 
powers, and arrive late, indeed, at the conclusion 
to which true philosophy must always come ; and 
which can be no other, than that a sole and imma- 
terial principle is the source^ to which all the phasno- 
mena of nature and of the universe must be traced. 



161 



In those fine climates, where so much of existence 
is passed under the canopy of heaven, we can 
scarcely wonder that the first settlers in Egypt and 
Chaldea sought among the celestial bodies for 
supernatural agents, of whose being, and of whose 
power, the experience of the world seemed to afford 
continual examples. All the operations of agricul- 
ture, the seasons of sowing and of reaping, of 
planting the vine and of gathering its grapes, were 
in reality connected with the rising and setting of 
some constellations, while the state of the weather, 
and the temperature of the atmosphere, seemed to 
be equally combined with the appearance and 
disappearance of others. The influence of the 
Sun upon the whole system of nature, the splendor 
of his orb, and the ardor of his fires, pointed him 
out to the untaught idolator as the source of light 
and life, as the Lord of the universe, and as the 
parent of all things ; nor, when he withdrew his 
burning beams, can we be surprised, that the milder 
planet of the night was hailed as the associate of 
his empire, and as the Queen of Heaven. The 
march and order of the celestial bodies, which 
seemed independent of all power which human 
sagacity could yet divine, was believed to be the 



162 



result of their own spontaneous energies ; and 
their influence on the affairs of our lower world 
soon came to be acknowledged by the superstitious 
nations. Among men, by whom the heavens were 
continually observed, as was the case on the fruit- 
ful banks of the Nile and the Euphrates, the revo- 
lutions of the stars were associated with the inci- 
dents of life, the fortunes of individuals, and the 
fate of kingdoms. A few coincidences will always 
form a sufficient basis, whereon superstition may 
erect, a mighty fabric; and it is probable, that 
judicial astrology, of which the origin is more 
remote than men seem generally to suspect, was 
first founded upon some vague associations, and 
some accidental occurrences. 

The utility of religion to those who govern, can 
never fail to be observed by the politician ; but 
w here a religion is created and formed by the rulers 
of the state, its advantages to them, at least, must 
be incalculable. Tsahaism^ or " the worship of 
the Hosts of Heaven," pervaded all the nations of 
.the East. This, indeed, was nothing else than a 
more scientific and sublime astrology, of which 
the innumerable mysteries were known only to the 



163 

Priests, and to those who were initiated in the 
secrets of their abstruse mythology. In the reces- 
ses of their colleges, the learned Egyptians undoubt- 
edly taught a pure and beautiful system of theology; 
but the light, which illuminated the interior of the 
temple, shed from without only a doubtful ray of 
science and superstition on the prejudiced and 
semi-barbarous multitude. Science itself w^as 
scarcely so much an object with the Priests, as the 
art of concealing it from the people. Hence the 
numerous and complicated symbols of the Egyp- 
tians ; — hence the use of hieroglyphics even after 
the invention of letters; — and hence that singular 
mixture of wisdom and folly, of philosophy and 
fanatacism, of profound research, and of childish 
prejudice, which manifests itself in the laws, 
doctrines, customs, and institutions of ancient 
Egypt. . 

When we reflect upon this system of Priestcraft, 
we may be tempted to condemn it as the base 
offspring of ambition and hypocrisy ; but since it 
must be confessed, that science can never be the 
portion of the vulgar, and must always be confined 
to the few, it may be doubtful, whether any real 



164 



advantages flow from a too ardent desire to propa- 
gate knowledge among the lower classes of mankind. 
It requires so much time and study, to master the 
great questions in politics, morals, and science, 
that the mass of the people, occupied with the 
common business of life, can never be competent to 
judge of them ; and I am not convinced, that they 
are the least prejudiced reasoners, who maintain, 
that the truth most surely results from the chaotic 
strife of incongruous principles, and from the 
fortuitous collision of jarring opinions. Be this as 
it may, however, there can be no question, that 
where the government is intended to be sacerdotal, 
it is the policy of the priests to instruct themselves 
in that knowledge, which is to be kept from the 
eye of vulgar curiosity. This, indeed, was the 
policy which gave such credit and influence to the 
Priests of Egypt and Chaldea, and which, consi- 
dered as a human and secondary cause, protracted 
for a long period of time the existence and autho- 
rity of the Jewish Hierocracy, 

At the period when Moses was called upon to 
exercise the functions of his legation, the Hebrews 
appear to have been imbued in all the supersti- 



165 



tious notions of the unlearned among the Egyp- 
tians. They seem to have had no distinct ideas 
concerning the divine nature ; — to have considered 
their God as a local and partial Deity, — and to 
have worshipped in Jehomh Tsabaoth a material 
rather than a spiritual and intellectual being. After 
their flight across the desart, and their miraculous 
passage through the Red Sea; — after all the signs 
and wonders which they had witnessed, they were 
still attached to the loved idolatries of Egypt, ahd 
still doubtful believers, either in the power, or in 
the beneficence of Jehovah. 

I cannot help thinking, that in the whole of this 
miraculous history, there is much that is typical 
and allegorical ; and that in abiding too strictly by 
the letter, we lose the sense and the meaning. The 
history of the emigration of the Israelites could 
not have been written for the generation that 
departed out of Egypt with Moses, and it may be 
presumed that it was composed for the benefit of 
their posterity. Now there seem to be some 
lessons, which it is natural and probable that the 
great reformer and legislator should wish to leave 
behind him to those, who were to teach and establish 



166 



his laws. The great object of Moses was clearlj 
to introduce the true religion, and to destroy idolatry 
among his countrymen : — The second and subor- 
dinate point, w hich he had in view, was the establish- 
ment of a Hierocracy in Israel. In order to 
accomplish the first of these purposes, he obtained 
the immediate assistance of heaven itself. That 
Jehovah is God, and the sole God, was announced 
to the Israelites by various miracles, which, 
however, appeared not to have convinced that 
stubborn and stiff-necked people. The estabhsh- 
ment of the Hierocracy was, indeed, ordained by 
the Deity; but the confirmation and duration of its 
authority seem to have depended more upon human 
means. To the mass of the multitude it was suffi- 
cient, or appears to have been deemed sufficient, 
that general laws slfould be promulgated, that God 
should proclaim his unity and supremacy, and that 
the worship of idols, with all the rites and ceremo- 
nies instituted in their honor, should be strictly 
forbidden. These ordinances, accompanied as 
they were with proofs of power which spoke to the 
senses, were best fitted for the understandings of a 
stupid, ignorant, and bigoted populace. But when 
Moses founded a college of Priests, whose infiu- 



167 



ence he desired to render permanent, it might be 
necessary to enter into many explanations, and to 
expound many propositions, which were above the 
capacity and beyond the sphere of the ilhterate 
vulgar. 

There seem to be two things, concerning which 
Moses could in no way fail to impart his sentiments 
to the Priests. First, it is obvious, that the people 
eould not accurately distinguish between their God, 
and the Gods of other countries, and that Apis, 
or the Golden Calf, was reckoned by them as a 
Deity as well as Jehovah. In fact there were 
many circumstances that might tend to lead so 
stupid a race into error. The Tabernacle, as I 
have proved elsewhere, was indubitably a type of 
the universe. The figures in the Cherubim 
answered to the four signs of Taurus^ Leo, Scor- 
piuSf (or the Eagle) and Aquarius ; and in those 
signs the Solstitial and Equinoctial points formerly 
had place. The Bull, the Lion, the Eagle, and 
the Man with the Urn, were accordingly the four 
emblems chosen by the four leaders, Ephraim, 
Judah, Dan, and Reuben, in the camp of the 
Hebrews. Every thing in that camp, as well as 



168 



in the Tabernacle, recalled to the people the mate- 
rial system of the heavens, and with it the doctrines 
and worship of the Tsabaists. At the period of 
the flight from Egypt, the vernal equinox took place 
when the Sun was in Aries; but the worshippers 
of Apis, either through ignorance, or perverseness, 
seem to have been unwdlling to transfer their rever- 
ence from the Bull to the Ram, or Lamb. The 
Bull had been for more than two thousand years 
the Prince and leader of the celestial armies, and 
an unlettered people still adored him as such. 
Misled by similitudes, they even seem to have 
confounded this leader of the celestial armies with 
Jehovah Tsabaoth, " Lord of the hosts of heaven." 

To the Priests, it seems evident, that Moses was 
bound to explain the real difference between the 
theism which he taught, and the polytheism which 
he decried. By the confession of the two most 
learned Jews w ho have written in Greek, Jose- 
phus and Philo, and by the further testimony of 
the most profound antiquary among the Christian 
Fat':ers, it has been proved, that the Jews were 
surrounded, while they performed the duties of 
religion, with the emblems of Tsabaism^ and with 



169 



innumerable memorials of that very idolatry, 
against which their Priests and their Prophets 
never ceased to fulminate their curses. There 
could hardly, then, have failed to have been a 
secret and esoteric doctrine, known to those Priests 
and Prophets, by which, in the midst of so much 
ambiguous imagery, the true system of theology 
could be separated from the false. 

Secondly, it may be observed, that Moses esta- 
blished many laws and institutions, which were 
peculiar to the Jewish nation. Of these, in spite 
of the labors of some of our theologians, who have 
sought to account for them, it appears, at first sight, 
at least, that many are capricious, and that some 
are cruel. But this could not have been really the 
case. They must in fact have been all just, and 
all adapted to thd" state of the people for whom 
they were framed. The reason, then, which, under 
the divine authority, guided the judgment of the 
legislator, must have been explained to those, who 
were to be his successors in administering the law ; 
for without that reason had been known to some, 
we should not have been told that there were 
Levites^ who caused the people to understand the 



170 



law, nor should we have heard of masters in 
Israel. 

It is well known, that the error of the Tsabaists- 
lay in their believing, that the material heavens, 
. the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars, were conscious 
and intelligent beings, that governed the earth with 
all its inhabitants. It is not to be supposed, 
however, that the sages of Egypt and of Chaldea 
were themselves the dupes of so monstrous a 
system. They appear to have been divided, like 
the philosophers of later times, into spiritualists 
and hyloists ; and it is undoubted, that the former, 
as Cudworth has cleai'ly proved, were pure theists, 
from whom the Greeks copied some of their most 
sublime notions concerning the eternal and infinite 
mind. Now, if I mistake not the plan of the 
Jewish legislator, his intention was to represent 
the Deity as an immaterial essence, by whose 
power the external world had been fashioned into 
shape, and by whose agency the order of Nature 
and of the universe had been preserved. With 
Nature and the universe, therefore, the Deity 
must ever be associated in a true system of theo- 
logy ; and the type of the spiritual God governing 



171 



the material world, was, if I err not, that, which 
it was the ohject of Moses to place before his 
countrymen. Instead of that celestial army of 
shining and unconscious globes, and that rolling 
multitude of Suns and planets, which were adored 
as Gods by the Tsabaists, he pointed to the supreme 
and spiritual principle, whence emanates existence, 
and whence proceeds the order of all things. It 
is, indeed, this principle which is truly Jehovah 
Tsabaothy the Being by whom all the hosts of 
heaven are conducted amidst the immensity of 
space, and in ceaseless revolutions, while he sees 
that it is good. 

From this statement, it must be evident, that 
Moses could not teach his theology, without 
explaining the true system of nature, and without 
developing the connexion between God as the 
cause, and the order of nature as the effect. In 
distinguishing between the religion of the Tsabaists 
and his own, it was necessary to show in what 
Tsabaism really consisted. It was incumbent on 
him, I say, to explain, what was the difference 
between his own theology and that of the worship- 
pers of the celestial hosts; — not, indeed, to the 



172 



people, ^vho were too gross and material in their 
conceptions, to have understood him, but to the 
Levites and to the Elders of the congregation ; for 
without such explanation, what could those, who 
had leisure to reflect and to reason, have thought 
of the innumerable symbols of Tsabaism, which 
appeared in the religious institutions of the Jew^s ? 
The Sun, the ]Moon, the twelve signs of the Zodiac, 
the two hemispheres, the planets, the solar light, 
were all typified in the Tabernacle by types that 
could not be mistaken. It cannot be supposed, 
that the college of Priests "vvas ig;norant of the 
reasons why these symbols were introduced. But 
I have to observe, that the step from polytheism to 
theism is not so immediate as many may suppose. 
To obtain any distinct notion of a perfectly pure 
and spiritual existence, and to abstract the thoughts 
from all contemplation of matter, may not be 
quite so easy as it appears to superficial examin- 
ers. We may be certain, that men have arrived 
very gradually at those conceptions of an imma- 
terial essence, which, perhaps, even now, are only 
entertained as they ought to be by the most enlight- 
ened minds. I believe, that the sages of Egypt 
did entertain such conceptions of the Deity ; and 



173 



that Moses held the spiritual existence of God to 
be distinct from matter, I cannot for a moment 
doubt ; but this was by no means the case among 
the multitude, whether Jews, or Egyptians. It 
may be even questioned, whether the Priests them- 
selves always comprehended the doctrines of Moses ; 
and whether they did not occasionally confound the 
spiritual agency of God, with the powers and ener- 
gies which they attributed to matter. 

The attachment of the people to the idolatry of 
the Egyptians could not have been altered by 
explanations, which their ignorance would have 
prevented them from understanding, and to which 
they probably could have no leisure to attend. 
Positive laws and injunctions were, therefore, infi-^ 
nitely better adapted to their state ; but to reclaim 
the infatuated minds of those men, who w^ere to 
serve the altar, and who were to compose the 
Hierocracy, was an object of the most serious 
nature to a lawgiver, whose chief care was to 
establish the true religion. Now in order to destroy 
Tsabaism, it was necessary to show, that it was a 
system of astronomy imposed on the vulgar as a 
system of theology. Nor was this all The 



174 



system of astronomy was as false as the religion. 
But Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the 
Egyptians; and how could he prove better the 
ineptitude of the religion, than by proving that the 
system of astronomy on which it was founded, was 
absolutely false and erroneous ? 

The Priests of Egypt and of Chaldea had made 
a progress in the science of astronomy, which will 
be found more astonishing the more it is examin- 
ed. Their cycles were calculated with extraordi- 
nary precision ; and their knowledge of the most 
important parts of astronomy must appear evident 
to all, who candidly consider the question. But 
the people appear to have been purposely left in 
gross ignorance on this subject. Their vague, and 
their rural years, were neither of them correct. 
The festivals were fixed according to calendars 
made for the people, and the religious institutions 
were only calculated to confirm the errors of the 
ignorant. The truths of science were the ai^cana 
of the Priests. The whole system of Tsabaism 
v/as founded on the erroneous astronomy, if astro- 
nomy it could be called, which was contained in 
the public calendars. On certain days of the 



175 



year, the people worshipped the Sun under various 
names and attributes, — rejoiced at one time for his 
imaginary birth, and mourned at another for his 
fictitious death. But the year, by which they esta- 
blished the return of these ceremonies, was their 
vague year, and consequently the Sun was always 
worshipped out of his place. 

Now surely Moses could not employ better the 
wisdom in which he was learned, than in exposing 
this false astronomy, on which the vulgar idolatry 
was built. If he showed to the Priests of Israel, 
that all the festivals which the partisans of Tsaba- 
ism were desirous to observe, were fixed for wrong 
periods, — if he proved, that these worshippers of 
the stars were so ignorant as to mistake and miscal- 
culate their returns, — if he made it evident, that 
these adorers of the material heavens were utterly 
ignorant of astronomy, — it can hardly be doubted, 
that he w^ould shake that respect, which it may be 
suspected, even the Levites and Elders yet enter- 
tained for the superstitions of the unlearned among 
the Egyptians. 

Those, who are acquainted with the astronomy 



176 



and mythology of the Egyptians, must know full 
well, how much their religious institutions were 
connected with the establishment of the civil year, 
and of the civil month. The Priests themselves, 
who in their colleges had reformed the Calendar, 
did not permit the people to become acquainted 
with the secret ; and they obliged every monarch, 
at his accession to the throne, to swear upon the 
altar of Isis, that he would allow no alteration to 
be made upon the duration of the month, or of the 
year. But since the use of the civil year, and of 
the civil month, was intimately connected with the 
superstitions of the Tsabaists, it seems extremely 
natural, that Moses and Joshua should show to the 
Elders and Priests of Israel, that the public 
Calendars of the Egyptians were altogether erro- 
neous. This, I pretend, was done in the allegori- 
cal history of the flight from Egypt, and of the 
passage of the Israelites into the promised land. 

I am very sensible of the peril, which I must 
encounter, in advancing such an opinion. The 
Europeans, not being acquainted with that figura- 
tive and symbolical language in which the Orien- 
talists have always delighted, are generally attached 



177 



to literal interpretations. To matter-of-fact people 
nothing is so intolerable as being told, that what 
they call real ti'uths, real events, and real histories, 
ought to be explained away into figures, symbols, 
metaphors, and allegories. It sometimes happens, 
indeed, that they are obliged to acknowledge, that 
the facts are rather extraordinary ; but in speaking 
of the scriptures, this difficulty is easily removed, 
by observing, that our duty with respect to sacred 
things is to believe, and not to criticise, or to 
reason. 

This last argument, however, may not have 
much weight with some antagonists, who may insist, 
that without belief be authorised by reason, it is 
nothing better than superstition ; and that he, who 
gives credit to his Bible, without consulting his 
judgment, would in other circumstances have 
equally respected the authority of the Edda, of 
the Koran, or of the Zendavesta. But although 
this reasoning appear conclusive to many ; I must 
yet confess, that I like better the humility of those, 
who bow with blind reverence to the sacred Oracles, 
in acknowledging the difficulty of comprehending 
them ; than the arrogance of certain teachers, who, 

M 



178 



adhering to the literal sense of the scriptures, boldly 
pronounce, that every event recorded in them is 
probable, and consistent with the plans of eternal 
wisdom. It is, indeed, from these persons, that I 
have to apprehend the severest strictures. I would 
take away from them the belief of many things, 
which they hold it as a duty to credit and defend. 
I would persuade them, that Joshua did not rob, 
plunder, burn, and destroy,- — that he did not massa- 
cre the men and cut up the bellies of [the women 
and children, — in the name and by the order of 
the God of justice and mercy, — and for such an 
undertaking, I must expect reprobation. But this 
is nothing in comparison, of asserting, that the 
Orientalists were not matter-of-Jact people^ that 
they delighted in allegories, and that this may have 
been the case with some of the writers of the Old 
Testament. There is yet, however, a direr charge 
of which I shall be found guilty. Instead of 
believing in the historical truth of all those exploits, 
by which it has been so often proved to the satisfac- 
tion of the faithful, that Joshua was a lawless free- 
booter, and a blood-thirsty robber, who dared to 
justify his atrocious crimes, by asserting, that he 
was authorised to commit them by the God of the 



179 



universe ; I pretend, that this same Joshua was a 
wise magistrate, a scientific teacher, and a true 
theist, who taught the arts to the people, instructed 
them in agriculture, pointed out the proper seasons 
when they ought to sow and to reap, while in the 
sacred college he reformed the Calendar, and proved 
the erroneous astronomy of the Tsabaists, and 
thence the vanity of their superstitions, and tiie 
grossness of their idolatry. 

I have now stated the nature and magnitude of 
my guilt ; and must expect to be condemned by 
the matter-of-fact people, who are persuadedj that 
the Eastern prophets, who wrote three or four 
thousand years ago, composed their works upon the 
same model, and with the same regard to facts, as 
may be seen always attended to in the praise- worthy 
pages of the Annual Register, and of the London 
Gazette. But I must leave the matter-off act 
people to mistake shadows for substances, to 
confound the symbol with the thing symbolised, 
to realise metaphors, to convert allegories into true 
histories, and to misunderstand and misconceive the 
character and genius of the ancient Oriental 
writings, which are so strangely judged of accord- 



180 



ing to standards of other times and other countries. 
I proceed to answer some objections, which have 
been already made to my theory. 

1 . It has been observed, that my explanations 
of proper names, and that the consequences I 
thence deduce, cannot be admitted, unless those 
proper names can be so interpreted, and similar 
consequences drawn, whenever, and wherever, 
they occur in the Bible. I am inclined to think, 
that this argument can be of no avail to those who 
urge it. I pretend, that those parts of the Hebrew 
Scriptures, which are usually called historical, are 
in truth partly historical, and partly allegorical. 
Not to insist further on the example of all the ancient 
Orientalists, we may observe, that the traditions 
of the Greeks sufficiently prove, that this mixture 
of history with allegory formed the basis of their 
ingenious and elegant mythology. Thus Hercules, 
and many others, were partly historical and partly 
allegorical personages. Castor and Pollux, for 
example, evidently had an allegorical existence, 
but it does not follow, that their real existence 
could never have been. When we read the 



181 



accounts which are still preserved of the ancient 
heroes, who florished in the early ages of Greece, 
we do not contend, that all is allegory, or that 
all is true history ; nor do we confound the mytho- 
logical with the historical personages. I read, and 
I believe, that there was a King of Athens, called 
Theseus, who deserved much of his country ; but 
I do not mistake this real personage for the allego- 
rical one, who slew the Minotaur, and who 
conquered the Amazons. I think it by no means 
impossible, that there were men called Perseus 
and Orion ; and yet I am aware, that the traditions 
concerning them are chiefly astronomical fables. 
I cannot be persuaded, then, that I may not apply 
the same principle, and exercise the same judg- 
ment, when I turn from the ancient Greek to the 
ancient Jewish traditions, the more especially, that 
the love of allegory was yet greater among the 
Orientalists than among the Greeks, and that the 
books of the former are so often found to be 
compounded of historical truths and allegorical 
fictions. 



2. It has been stated to me, that the proper names 
of various regions and cities were such as really 



182 



existed. How, then, it is asked, could the sacred 
writers be speaking allegorically, when they menti- 
oned those places ? — How could they be making 
allusions to astronomy, or to agriculture, or to 
relii^ion, when they spoke of towns and districts, 
of which the situation may be pointed out in the 
map? There is abundance of evidence, it is added, 
that such names as we find in Scripture, were 
really given to the places therein mentioned. 

Let this last proposition be admitted. I have 
stated, that the great object of Moses and of 
Joshua was to reclaim the Israelites from the idola- 
try of the Egyptians, and I have shown how much 
an exposure of the false astronomy of the Tsabaists 
must have tended to weaken the respect of the 
Priests and Elders for those worshippers of the 
stars. Moses, therefore, employed various types, 
taken from the Tsabaists, in order to explain the 
true system of the universe to the persons who 
were to hold the sacerdotal office. The religion of 
the idolaters, as we have already seen, was inti- 
mately connected with the preservation of the 
civil month, and the civil year. The establishment 
of the solar year would go far to confound that 



183 



idolatry, which was so much dependent on the 
false calculations of the Tsabaists. That Moses 
was acquainted with the true length of the year 
I have proved elsewhere; and that he was obliged 
to continue the use of the year of 360 days, is at 
once a proof of the prevalence of Tsabaism 
among the Israelites, and of the necessity under 
which he was to instruct the College of Priests 
in a better system of astronomy. In fact, the false 
system of religion, and the false system of astronomy 
supported each other ; and, therefore, the destruc- 
tion of the latter was a matter of no small import- 
ance to the lawgiver, since the reformer of religion 
was compelled to become the reformer of 
astronomy. 

It will be remembered, that I have already 
proved, that the twelve tribes of Israel took for 
their emblems the twelve signs of the Zodiac, even 
before they left the land of Egypt. When they 
are said to have entered the promised land, it 
appears, that the places were named after various 
stars, constellations, &c. I think, I shall prove, 
that the whole partition was made in allusion to 
astronomy, by the proper understanding of which, 



184 



the idolatry of the Tsabaists, as far as human 
prudence could effect it, was most likely to be rooted 
out among the Israelites. 

Before I proceed further, however, I have to 
make a remark, to which I should wish to call the 
particular attention of my reader. He may, 
perhaps, have already exclaimed, that to suppose 
a country to be laid out, its districts divided, and 
its cities named, in allusion to astronomy, is a wild 
and untenable proposition. It is thus, that men 
often hastily make conclusions. The philosopher 
should kno\v his duty, be patient, and persevere. 

Upon this plan, the land of Egypt, the country 
where Moses was educated, was certainly distribu- 
ted ; but it was so distributed in order to favor the 
superstitions of the multitude, which the Priests 
never failed to encourage. The civil year of the 
Egyptians consisted, like that of the Hebrews, of 
360 days; and was divided into twelve months, 
each consisting of 30 days. This was an approxi- 
mation of the lunar to the solar year, which 
appears to have been adopted very early ; but 
which, by rendering the errors of the Calendar a 



185 



little less obvious than they had been before, 
perhaps only aided the astronomical and religious 
deceptions, by which the people were kept in igno- 
rance. The civil month was divided into three 
decans, and each day was consecrated to the God, 
or the genius, that the astrologers appointed over 
it. The whole of this system was deeply involved 
with Tsabaism. Now if my reader will turn to 
Kircher's (Edipus, he will find it sufficiently proved, 
that the land of Egypt was partitioned into three 
provinces, answering to the three decans, and into 
thirty nomes, or praefectures, corresponding with 
the thirty Deities ruling over each day of the month. 
In Egypt, then, the country of Moses, we find the 
exemplar of a territory divided and named accord- 
ing to the Calendar. 

In fact, we find the nomes of Egypt were called 
Busiris, Lato, Hermon, Buto, On, Canobus, 
Mendes, &c. &c. and as we know, that these were 
all Gods of the Tsabaists, or, in other words, were 
planets and constellations represented by different 
symbols, w^e can no longer doubt, that the land of 
Egypt wa&^ partitioned with a view to the astronor 



186 



mical system, which the Priests intended for the 
worshippers of the celestial host. 

If the lawgiver of the Hebrews, who was learned 
in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, desired to over- 
throw the false religion of the Tsabaists, w^hich 
was built on their false astronomy ; and if he 
sought to abolish those rites, which were practised 
on certain days of the sacred year, and which, by 
reason of the false calculations, never returned 
exactly at the proper periods ; he would naturally 
establish the duration of the year according to the 
passage of the Sun through the signs of tlie Zodiac. 
The Israelites adhered to the civil month of 30 
days, and it may be supposed, that those among 
them, who were inclined to Tsabaism, did not 
forget the division of Egypt into 30 nomes, called 
after the leaders of the hosts of heaven. But the 
true solar year, which it was contrary to the reli- 
gion of the Tsabaists to admit, can only be fixed 
by marking the progress of the Sun through the 
Zodiacal signs. The Israelites had come from a 
country which was divided, and of which the 
districts were named, with an evident allusion to 



J 87 



that astronomy, on which the idolatry of the people 
was built. It was then very natural for Moses to 
divide the new territory upon a similar plan, if 
by doing so he could give a blow to that very 
system, which it was the great object of his legis- 
lation to destroy. Now, by making every thing 
refer to the true solar year, he must have completely 
confounded and confused the calculators, who, 
going by the vague year of the Egyptians, esta- 
blished their sacrifices and festivals to the Gods of 
their idolatry, at times directly contrary to those 
in which they should have been celebrated. Thus 
it would be evident to those, who adopted the solar 
year, that the idolators, who followed the vague 
year, would in a certain period come to w'orship 
the vernal for the Autumnal Sun, and w'ould weep 
for his fictitious death, when they ought to have 
been rejoicing at his imaginary birth. 

We find then, that to name and divide the 
promised land w ith a distinct allusion to astronomy, 
is not quite so extravagant a fancy, as may be at 
first imagined. It had been certainly already done 
by the Egyptians ; and, perhaps, by other Oriental 
nations. 



188 



3. Some persons have fancied, that the allusions 
to the celestial bodies, and especially to the signs 
of the Zodiac, which I have pretended to discover, 
cannot exist in reality in the books of Moses and 
Joshua, because, say they, the partitions and collo- 
cations of the signs, the grouping of the Stars, and 
the names of the constellations, as well as the 
symbols by which they are denoted, are of much 
later date. This is a petitio principii, which I 
cannot admit. I readily allow, that the planets 
and constellations were called by different names 
in Egypt and in Greece, and that some of them, at 
least, were expressed by different symbols. But I 
maintain, that the division of the circle into 360 
parts, and of the Zodiac into twelve houses, was 
established by the Egyptians before the dawn of 
science in Greece. Some of the emblems were 
certainly changed, but some of them were as certain- 
ly preserved. It is chiefly, where they were changed, 
that we shall find a difficulty in explaining the alhi- 
sions made to the celestial bodies in the book under 
our consideration; but since the Greeks were 
instructed in astronomy by the Egyptians, we may 
infer, and indeed we shall see, that they did not 



189 



alter the emblems so much as has been generally 
supposed. 

If the persons, to whom I allude, will examine 
the ancient Zodiacs of the Egyptians, as exhibited 
and explained by Kircher, La Pluche, Bailly, 
Dupuis, &c. they will find, not only that the 
Greeks generally copied their astronomical symbols 
from the Egyptians, but that those symbols were 
invented at a very remote period of time. 

4. It has been observed, that of some, and 
indeed of many, proper names I have not been 
able to give any explanation. I fully acknowledge 
the truth of this remark ; but let my reader take 
the following circumstances into consideration. The 
Egyptians and Chaldeans must have been the 
masters of the Israelites in astronomy ; and conse- 
quently, the names of the stars and of the constel- 
lations were probably borrowed either from the 
^ Egyptian or the Chaldaic. It is vain, then, to seek 
for some of these names in Hebrew ; and when we 
do, we very rarely succeed. We must, however, 
be aware, that many of these names have been 
disfigured by the Scribes, who, when they came to 



190 



words originally foreign, may have confounded and 
confused the orthography. Thus they clearly 
mis-spelt the name of Poti-pherah, as has been 
proved by Jablonski. The name of On is written 
sometimes with, and sometimes without, the mu. 
The city, of which the name is written Leshem in 
Joshua, is called Laish in Judges. Many exam- 
ples of similar inaccuracy might be given ; and if 
in some instances we can yet certainly adjust these 
names, and discover their import, this is neverthe- 
less to be done with extreme caution. Thus the 
explanations of Scriptural proper names, as given 
by the author of the Onomasticon, by Rumelin, 
by Stockius, and by Gussetius, are sometimes 
incomparably absurd, because, determined at all 
events to make these names Hebrew, when they 
were Chaldaic, Syriac, Egyptian, or Persian, they 
give us the most anomalous compounds, without 
regard to grammar, or to common sense. 

But it is time, that I proceed to lay before my 
reader my proposed explanation of the book of 
Joshua. If he still find, that this book contains no 
astronomical allusions, he will do well to account for 
the introduction of so many names, which seem to 



191 

bear direct reference to the state of the heavens, 
the revolutions of the planets, the divisions of the 
Zodiac, the positions of the constellations, and the 
reform of the Calendar. 



More than two thousand years have elapsed, 
since the sign of Aries (called Ij^oj Emro by the 
Syrians, and 1^ Bara by the Persians, both of 
which words signify agnus,) has ceased to answer, 
owing to the precession of the Equinoxes, to the 
first of the signs. The place, which Aries then 
held, is now occupied by Pisces. We see, however, 
that before this change, the year opened, and the 
vernal equinox took place, when the Sun was in 
this sign. Then was fixed the commencement of 
the civil year among both the Jews and Egyptians. 
If, however, we proceed to more distant times, 
we shall find that the vernal Equinox took place, 
and that the year opened, when the Sun was in 
the sign of Taurus, To reform the Calendar, as 
these changes happened, must have engaged the 



192 



attention not only of astronomers but of legisla- 
tors. 

Tsabaism, or " the worship of the hosts of 
heaven," must have been the general religion of 
the East at so early a period, as to bring its esta- 
blishment within that era, when the opening of the 
year, (fixed by all the Oriental nations at the vernal 
equinox) answered to the sign of Taurus. From 
the Mithraic, Egyptian, and Indian monuments, we 
cannot question how much Eastern idolatry was 
connected with the symbol of the Bull, or with 
the passage of the Sun in the sign of Taurus from 
the lower to the upper hemisphere. Now after 
the period had arrived, when it was no longer in 
the sign of the Bull, but in that of the Ram, or 
of the Lamb, that the Sun rose from the lower 
hemisphere, it was evident, that the Tsabaists, 
even according to their own system of idolatry, 
ought to have transferred their reverence from the 
former symbol to the latter. But what could be 
more humiliating to those partisans of Tsabaism, 
who still sighed after the idol of the golden Calf^ 
or golden Bull, the symbol of Apis, than to find, 
that their calculations were wrong, and thai they 



193 



had mistaken the symbol, by which, even in 
conformity with their own false theology, they 
ought to adore their Deity? Let us attend to 
this ; and in order to obviate an objection, which 
is made to little purpose, I shall here observe, 
that as nothing is certainly known of the date, 
when the Book of Joshua was written, it may, 
perhaps, be best guessed at from its own internal 
evidence. It is clear, that the vernal equinox 
must have been already transferred from Taurus 
to Aries ) when Moses ordained that the civil year 
should open with the month Nisan, Whether 
the institution of the feast of the transition, which 
we call the feast of the passover, had any refer- 
ence to the passage of the equinoctial Sun into 
Aries, I leave others to determine. It is certain, 
that while the year commenced with the Sun in 
Taurus, the Persians represented Mithras as slaying 
a young Bull ; and we are not to forget, that the 
sign of the Ram, was called the sign of the Lamh 
by Persians and Syrians. I cannot help suspect 
ing, that the Paschal Lamb was a type of the 
Astronomical Lamb, 

I have ah'eady stated my reasons for thinking, 



194 



that Joshua could not more effectually, by human 
means at least, destroy the superstitious reverence 
of the Israelites for Apis, or the golden Bully than 
by showing that the Tsabaists, according to their 
own system, ought to have transferred their rever- 
ence from the Bull to the Raniy or Lamb ; and 
that as their whole astronomy was false, so also 
was the religion which was founded upon it. The 
equinoctial Sun being then really in Aries, the 
Calendar ought to have been adjusted according to 
the retrograde motion of the signs ; and thus the 
Ram, or Lamb, might be metaphorically called 
the Preserver, the Deliverer, the Rectifier^ the Refor- 
mer. Perhaps Joshua, the son of Nun, was no 
other than this Preserver, and may have been as 
much a real personage as the Egyptian Hermes, 
or the Grecian Hercules. 

That the Sun rising from the lower to the upper 
liemisphere, should be hailed the Preserver, or 
Saviour, appears extremely natural ; and that by 
such titles he was known to idolators cannot be 
doubted. ' Joshua (nw) literally signifies the 



' The Sun, according to Pausanias, was worshipped under 
the name of the Saviour, at Eleusis. 



195 



Prestrmr^ or Ddwerer ; and that this Preserverj 
or Dehverer, was no other than the Sun in the 
sign of the Ram, or Lamb^ may be inferred from 
many circumstances. It will be observed, that the 
LXX write 'Irjo-ohg for Joshua^ and the Lamb has 
always been the type oflria-ovg. Joshua is called 
the son of Nun, I find that X)^ Nun in Chaldaic, 
and Jv^ai^ Nuna in Syriac, signified the great Jish, 
or the constellation which we call the Whale* The 
head of Cetus, or the Whale, is placed immedi- 
ately under the Ram^ or Lamb, and always rises 
and sets with that sign, but the rest of the constel- 
lation rises before Aries. Thus the Ram, or Lamb, 
the Saviour, was metaphorically called the son of 
that constellation, which is next to it, and which 
rises immediately before it. 



C. L V. % 
Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan. 



There was as certainly the river called J ordan 
in Judea, as there was the river called the Nile in 



196 



Egypt; but as the Nile was employed for an 
astronomical symbol by the Egyptians, who thus 
denoted the vast constellation of Eridanus, I am 
apt to suspect, that the Jews also, in their sacred 
language, employed the name of the Jordan in an 
astronomical sense. The 12 tribes, on wdiose 
banners, as I have elsewhere shown, were displayed 
the 12 signs of the Zodiac, passed the Jordan, 
and took out of its bed twelve stones^ which Joshua 
replaced. Now, when we consider that the preces- 
sion of the equinoxes had really changed the 
position of the signs, and that it was in consequence 
of this, that the Calendar required reform, wc 
shall, perhaps, understand the allegory. The word 
n*l^ Jordan is explained variously by the Rabbins. 
Some make it out to be n the river of Dan. 
Others bring it better from I*)'', and understand it 
to signify the great declivity. I observe, however, 
that or T)")'', in Chaldaic signifies a serpent ; 
and a serpent biting his tail was the hieroglyphic 
for the year, or for the Sun's orbit, as may be 
proved by reference to the third volume of 
Kircher's (Edipus. iTllv or H")** Jordan^ with the 
intensitive, would then signify the great serpent^ 
the hieroglyphic for the Sun's annual orbit, or in 



197 



other words, for the circle, which we call the Eclip- 
tic. The meaning of the allegory seems pretty 
plain. The style being changed, the equinoctial 
Sun, hailed the Saviour, and identified with the 
Ram, or Lamb, opens the year ; and is feigned as 
leading the twelve Zodiacal signs along the Ecliptic. 

V. 4. From the Wilderness and this Lebanon. 

The endeavours of the Rabbins to explain the 
meaning of HIID, which we translate " the Wilder- 
ness," and to trace it to its root, have been far from 
successful. It is evidently compounded of two 
Oriental words, which are not Hebrew, of which 
a fuller account is given by Bochart. I mean nD, 
and The true signification of "llID then is 

the boundary of the land. The boundaries of 
Judea were chiefly desarts, and this accounts for 
the meaning usually given to the word. But if 
there be any astronomical allusion here, the term 
may have been applied to the horizon. 

Lebanon, There was a mountain known by 
this name; but I suspect that Lebanon w^as as 
much an astronomical symbol as Atlas, which also 



198 



served for the name of a mountain, n^l^ Lehana 
signified the Moon, which the Rabbins say was 
thus denominated from its whiteness; but I 
imagine, that )ph, the root, answers rather to the 
Latin Candidus, and might even be translated 
eruhescens. The v/ord XVi'lb Lehana, " the Moon/' 
occurs but rarely in the Bible ; and I am inclined 
to think, that it was employed for the rising Moon. 
Lebanon I conceive to have been a name given to 
the Sun, and probably to the rising Sun. 

^ven unto the great river, the river Euphrates* 

The Nile and the Jordan, as we have already 
seen, served for astronomical symbols. If I mistake 
not, we shall find the same thing to be true of the 
Euphrates. The original meaning of is not a 
river, but splendor, or more exactly the Jiux of 
light. The Pharet, or Euphrates, I conceive to 
signify fruit-bearing, or, perhaps, a fruit-tree. 
The name may have been given to the river from 
the fertility of its banks; and this is the general 
opinion of the Rabbins. But a fruit-tree was 
certainly a symbo] of the stariy heavens ; and the 
fruits typified the constellations. In the ancient 



199 

astronomical monuments of the Persians, fruit-trees 
are generally represented. We see traces of this 
in the mythology of the Greeks, and especially in 
the astronomical allegory concerning the golden 
apples brought by Hercules from the gardens of 
. the Hesperides. In the 36 decans taken from the 
Egyptian astrologers, frequent allusions are made 
to fruit-trees and fruits; and the astronomical Gods, 
for such they were in fact, of the Egyptians are 
generally represented with fruits. Thus Horus 
carries a cornucopia in his hand, and Harpocrates 
is represented with a persea on his head. On the 
ancient coins and other monuments of the Tsabaists, 
and even of the Israelites, we see fruit-trees repre- 
sented. The Sephiroth of the Cahhalists were 
disposed in the form of a tree, as^ is stated by 
Shabte ; and of course under this form they 
intended to represent the universal system. The 
fruit-tree, mentioned in the Apocalypse, has been 
supposed by some to be a type of the Zodiac, as 
it bore twelve fruits, and one each month. In the 
apocryphal Gospel of Eve, spoken of by St. Epipha- 
nius, it is said, that the tree of life bore one apple 
each month. The Arabians typify the Zodiac by 
a fruit-tree, and on the twelve branches of this 



200 



tree the stars are depicted as clusters of fruit. 
The Cabbalists represent the tree of life as marked 
with the emblems of the Zodiac, and as bearing 
twelve fruits. When we consider these things 
together with the reverence of the Tsabaists for 
groves and trees, we shall hardly doubt, that trees, 
and especially fruit-trees, were symbols of the 
starry heavens. The splendor of Pharet, " the 
fruit-tree," might have been understood to mean 
the light of the Zodiacal constellations, by the 
initiated ; while the people may have thought that 
the promise related to the river Euphrates. But if 
the Jews ever had any possessions on the banks of 
the Euphrates, which is a disputed point, it could 
have been only for a short period, and not before 
the reign of Solomon. 

All the land of the Hittites. 

The proper name D''/in is confounded by Jose- 
phus with the proper name DTO, for which the 
Jewish historian is reproved by Bochart. I must 
confess I am equally puzzled by both names, if we 
follow the Rabbins. These good people seem to 
have no idea, that their progenitors could have 



201 



employed words which they do not understand, and 
the absurd confidence with which they talk deserves 
pity. LTr\r\, the Hitfites, if we beheve Rumeli- 
nus, ought to signify the terrors, or the consterna' 
tions. Surely no people in the world ever took 
such a name. All I can do for this word, at present, 
is to observe, that it is frequently connected with 
others, which bear a distinct reference to astronomy. 
This will appear presently. 



C. 2. V. 1. 



And Joshua sent two men out of Shittim, 

This seems clearly enough an astronomical allu- 
sion. D''tDt£^ comes from niOti^, and rX&D was one 
of the Deities of the Tsabaists. The house, or 
temple of Shittah 'n'&D (Bith Shittah) is mentioned 
in the Book of Judges. But let my reader attend 
to the words of Parkhurst ; TVi:mTS JT'^, the house 
of declination, or of the declinator — not improba- 
bly so called from a temple dedicated to the heavens, 
considered as causing the declination of the earth." 



202 



He may also see more in Hutchinson, M. P. part 2; 
and in the 4th volume. 

Go mew the land, emn Jericho, 

This chapter seems to contain an account of the 
first attempt to reform the lunar month, in'^'n^ is 
evidently from the Moon. But as it is written 
inn*' Jericho, with the "cauy ii becomes a collective 
noun ; and must mean the Moon in her different 
quarters. 

Rachab signifies space, or latitude; and was 
worshipped as a Deity by the Tsabaists, who built 
a temple to Rachab, called Bith-Rachab, ' 

It will be remembered, that when Jericho was 
taken, it was compassed round seven times, with 
more mysteries relating to the number seven. 

Now let us consider in what way we may under 



' Jud. 18. 28. 



I 



205 



stand the capture and destruction of Jericho in an 
astronomical sense. 

The lunar month consisted of 28 days, and 
consequently the lunar year consisted of only 336 
days. The first reform in the Calendar was made 
by a more exact calculation of the Moon's motions^ 
and her revolutions with regard to the Sun ; and 
the year was thus found to contain 356 days. But 
still a very short period was sufficient to prove, 
that the use of the lunar year would go to reverse 
the order of the seasons. Another, though an 
imperfect, reform was made by adding two days to 
each lunar month of 28 days, and by fixing the 
number of days in the year at 360. This was the 
civil year of the Egyptians and of the Hebrews. 
Joshua sent two men out of Shittim, that is, out 
of those that decline ; and by them, according to 
Parkhurst and Hutchinson, we must understand 
the heavens as causing the declination of the earth, 
and thereby, says Parkhurst, the succession of the 
seasons. In fact, the succession of the seasons is 
caused by the obliquity, or declination of the 
Ecliptic. But the Ecliptic is divided into twelve 
parts, each of which contains 30 degrees; and 



204 



before the establishment of the civil year, each of 
these parts must have contained only 28 degrees, 
according to the calculation for the first and original 
lunar month. The two men seem to represent the 
two degrees added to each sign, or the two days 
added to each lunar month. The word Jericho 
either means the Moon in her several quarters, or 
the lunar month divided into weeks. The Hebrews 
compassed the city seven times. Does not this 
allude to the seven days of the week, or to one of 
the Moon's quarters? It seems to me that the 
abolition of the lunar month of 28 days^ by the 
^iddition of two days, is typified by the destruction 
of Jericho. 



C. 3. V. 10. 

He will mithout fail d?^ive out from before you 
the CcinaaniteSy and the Hittites, and the Hivitesy 
and the Perizites, and the^ Girgashites, and the 
J7norites, and the Jebusites. 

The literal interpreters are pleased to believe, 
that these were so many distinct nations, against 



205 



whom the God of the universe declared a helium 
internecinunu 

The first to be driven out were the Canaanites 
"•ii^JDrr, whom the Rabbins will have to be a 
nation of merchants. ^:):d signifies to put down^ 
and when a merchant sells his goods, he puts them 
down before you. This nation of merchants was, 
therefore, called CanaaiiiteSy because they put down 
their goods. But in spite of this ingenious deriva- 
tion, I am inclined to think that the origin of the 
w^ord is totally different. The God of time was 
worshipped under the names of Chon^ Chiun, and 
Chaon, by the Egyptians, the idolatrous Jews, and 
the Syrians. These names are clearly taken from 
XO to establish, or constitute. But W 11^, or with- 
out the mu, \)) p, Canaan, w^ould signify, " he 
who established, or directed the time." The Canaan- 
ites are then those who fix the time, and probably 
no others than the astrologers, w^hose false Calen- 
dars misled the people. 

I have already pointed out the absurd meaning 
affixed to a'^iinn, the Hittites^ by the Rabbins. I 
believe, the Hittites signified the worshippers of 



206 



the sola?' Jire. From ntl I derive the radical aith, 
or ait ; because I think the harsh aspirate n was 
generally softened by strangers. This may be 
proved from the names Adad^ Eve, &c. Concern- 
ing aith my reader may consult Bryant ; and for 
r^Tip Parkhurst in voce HJirr. 

The Hivites appear to be worshippers of the 
Serpent, more generally called Ophites. The 
idolatry of these Ophites was extremely ancient, 
and was evidently connected with Tsabaism. The 
great constellation, which we call Hydra, is named 
K^'IPT; or mrr, by the Chaldeans. ' 

The Perizifes ni9 are understood to signify villa- 
gers. But why should these harmless villagers be 
driven out by the power of Jehovah ? I strongly 
suspect this proper name to be an Egyptian word, 
which the interpreters did not understand, n, 
prefixed by the Egyptian article H), would signify in 
Chaldaic, Ethiopian, and Egyptian, the mystery, or 



* See Castelli, and Bryant. 



207 



cabbala. Perizites seems then to mean the Cabba- 
lists, whose mummery was all originally founded 
on the idolatry of the Tsabaists. Razael^ or Riza^ 
el, was apparently the God of these Cabbalists, 
who called him the angel of Adam. 

Rumelin derives "^m^y Girgashites, from 
expulit. What then becomes of the second :i? 
Bochart brings the name from '^Ts'y which he says 
signifies clay. This is not strictly accurate ; but 
in all events I must doubt the existence of this 
argillaceous people. I know not the meaning. 

^^iDi^rr, The Amorites must signify either speak- 
ers, (i. e. teachers, expounders,) or branches, or 
lambs; any one of which names appears very 
strange when applied to a people. But when we 
recollect, that the celestial hosts were typified by 
branches of trees, and that the Sun was worshipped 
under the form of a Ram, or Lamb, we may 
suspect that the Amorites were Tsabaists — worship- 
pers of the branches, or types of the celestial hosts— 
or possibly of the Lamb, "iDi^ Amor, by which 
name the Chaldeans called the sign of Aries, ' 



' See Castelli. 



208 



The JebusiteSy ''DIINI. If we derive this name 
from or diS it would seem that we ought to 
translate the driers up. This would be a very 
singular name for a people. I rather think, that 
the Jebusites were a sect of the Tsabaists, who 
worshipped rwi, or DDI, who was no other than 
the Moon, and who was called Busta, or as the 
Greeks had it Bubastis. But see Jablonski; 
Castelli in voce X)y ; and Castelli and Parkhurst, 
in voce t^t^. 

C. 4. V. 19. 

And the people came up out of Jordan on the 
tenth day of the first month, and encamped in 
Gilgal in the east border of Jericho, 

We have seen that the people to be driven out 
were the Tsabaists ; or those, who under different 
emblems taught the worship of the celestial bodies; 
but I think it evident, that the extermination was 
asserted not of the people, but of their idolatrous 
systems. In fact, by a reference to the Scriptures 
we shall find, that the people were not driven out 



209 



The Girgashites, for example, whom I suppose to 
have been Tsabaists, though I cannot trace the 
etymology of the name, possessed their country in 
the time of Christ. ' 

The allegory now conducts us to the siege of 
Jericho, that is, in fact, to the overthrow of the 
lunar month consisting of four times seven days. 
The people go up out of Jordan, where they have 
placed the twelve stones ; and this I have shown to 
be an allegorical description of the establishment 
of the solar year, according to the progress of the 
Sun through the signs of the Zodiac. But the people 
encamp in Gilgal ; and Gilgal, means the 
7X'volvi?7g sphere, or the heavens^ which seem to turn 
round the earth. Thus b:hn ID^n b)p is properly 
rendered the voice of thy thunder was in the 
heaven" — instead of the voice of thy thunder was 
in Gilgal." But when the twelve tribes of Israel, who 
bore the twelve signs of the Zodiac on their standards, 
as I have proved in another place, are said to have 



* Matth. 8. 28. 

o 



210 



encamped in Gilgal, the revolving sphere of the 
heavens, and on the border of the Moon, it seems 
difficult to say that there is no astronomical 
allegory. 

V. 23. 

Js the Lord your God did to the Red Sea. 

In the original we find D'' which is generally 
understood to signify the weedy sea ; but how can 
this weedy sea be the Red Sea, wiiere .1 have been 
assured weeds are rarer than perhaps in any other 
sea? It has then been called the sea of weeds, be- 
cause it has so few^, or, if we believe Bruce, because 
it has nom—luciis a non lucendo. We learn from 
Josephus, L. 8. that a sea, and particularly the 
molten sea in the Temple, was a type of the hemi- 
sphere. Now I suspect this ^"\D D'' to be an 
astronomical type. The vv'ord t^^o I conceive to be 
very like 5]D, which means any thing concave, and 
which, if I err not, signified symboHcally the 
concave "vault of heaven. I cannot help thinking, 
then, that fjlD which we make to be the Red 



211 



Sea, was really the concave hemisphere. I observe, 
that the universal system was represented by the 
Jews in what they call their Sephiroth, and at the 
top of these was the in suph, 5]1D T^^, which may 
be a corruption for PjlD D^ im suph. 



C. 5. V.9. 

This day I ha'ce rolled axoay the reproach of 
Egypt from off you, wherefore the name of the 
place IS called Gilgal unto this day. 

The w^ord nS'in can only signify reproach in a 
metaphorical sense. I should rather translate it 
the winter. By the use of the vague year, and by 
their false calendars, the Egyptians had leversed 
the order of the seasons ; and he, who reformed 
the year, might not improperly say, that he rolled 
away the winter of Egypt. But I question much 
if Egypt was always really literally meant by the 
word DniJD. I bring the name fromn^i; and I 
suspect, that, instead of the reproach of Egypt, 
^\e ought to translate the winter or season of 



21^ 

condensing colds. (Consult Parkhiirst and Hutchin- 
son). But this change of the seasons could only 
be produced by the revolutions of the heavens, 
and, therefore, the place was called Gilgal, the 
revolving heavens." 

It will be observed, that this declaration follows 
the circumcision of the Israelites. Now there is 
some ambiguity in the words of the second verse 
of this chapter ; — - 

which are rendered make thee sharp knives," 
and which may be translated constitute to thyself 
the desolations of the frosts." 

It is evident, in the first place, that the rite of 
circumcision was common to the Egyptians and 
Jews, and it is difficult to understand how, by 
re-establisliing it, Joshua rolled away the reproach 
of Egypt. In the second place, the rite was re-esta- 
blished at the time when the Sun entered the sign 
of the Lamh, vv hen the frosts of winter cease ; and 
Moses ordained, that none should eat of the Paschal 



21S 



Lamb, at the feast of the Transition, which was 
celebrated in the month of Nisan, when tiie Sun 
passed into the sign of the Lamb^ except those who 
were circumcised. There seems then some reason 
to suppose, that the rite of circumcision was a 
ceremony practised, not for convenience or clean- 
liness only, but as a mark by which those might be 
known, who were to be admitted to eat of the 
Lamb, at the feast of the Transition, when the Sun 
quitted the lower hemisphere, and passed into the 
sign of the Lajnb. [ 



C. 6, 

I have already remarked the frequent repetition 
of the number seven, and w^hich, when applied to 
the siege of Jericho (the lunar month consisting of 
four times seven days) presents a very obvious 
meaning. But after what I have stated, the blowing 
with the horns of a Ra?n must appear particularly 
striking. The Ram, or Lamb, was the solar 



See Parkhurst, io voce nv. 



214 



symbol set up by the reformer of the Calendar in 
opposition to the sign of Taurus, because the trans- 
ition of the vernal equinox from the Bull to the 
Ram had already taken ptace. This, however, is 
not all. The trumpets of rams' horns are called 
in the original D"'^aVn nnsit:^, and the ram's horn 
is named ^irn pp. Thus we find, that the Ram, 
with w hich the year commenced according to the 
new style, is called b1^'^ jubel, and from this Hebrew 
word comes Jubilee. If there were no allusion to 
the Calendar, or to the reform of the year; — in 
short, if this be not an astronomical allegory, it is 
very strange, that accident should have brought 
together all these names and all these symbols. In 
all events, I think it unnecessary to say any thing 
more concerning the siege and capture of Jericho, 
of which the walls fell down, when the trumpet 
was sounded" — that is, when the Jubilee was 
proclaimed, and the new year adopted, 

C. 7. 

It appears, that after the fall of Jericho, or 
destruction of the lunar month, Joshua proposed 



215 



to overthrow Ai. But the children of Israel 
committed a trespass in the cursed thing ; for 
Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zebdi^ the son 
of Zerah, of the tribe Judah, took of the cursed 
thing ; and the anger of Jehovah was kindled 
against the children of Israel. Let us examine 
whether or not this language, like that of the 
preceding chapter, be allegorical. 

One great object in fixing the true period of the 
year is to regulate the proper seasons of agricultu- 
ral labor. No legislator can overlook this object ; 
and I think we shall find the sin of the children of 
Israel, in the example before us, to have consisted 
in this, that they did not abide by the civil year, 
but seem, like the Egyptians, to have had a rural 
year of their own. 

The cultivation of the vine has been always 
connected with the mythology of the ancient Orien- 
talists. Witness the fables concerning Dionysus. 
If we can form a judgment from the scriptures, 
the time of gathering the grapes ought to have been, 
when the Sun was in the sign of Leo, and this, as 
we have seen, was the emblem of Judah. But if 



2]6 



by a wrong computation the grapes were gathered 
too early, the vintage was necessarily spoiled ; and 
in a country of vines this was an object of great 
importance to the people. Now I think, that the 
allegory before us represents the people as still 
continuing to follow the old style, and consequently 
making their wine at an improper season ; for which 
they are figuratively said to have incurred the 
anger of the Deity, and by which is only meant, 
that they suffered what the laws of God and Nature 
necessarily inflicted on them. It is difficult for the 
philosopher to believe, that a theft committed by 
an individual, should have kindled the anger of 
Jehovah against a whole nation. To me all these 
histories appear as mere allegories. I cannot 
believe, that the Supreme, eternal, and infinite Mind, 
either goes into a passion at one time, or comes 
out of it at another. 

It is clearly to be proved from the Septuagint, 
and from the reason of the thing, that Achan 
should be written Achar, Now let us follow 
the text. 



^yj in a moral sense signifies perturbation ; — 



and in a physical one fermentation. This would 
be a strange name for a man. 

^D*)D, Carmi. This word is composed of 
a v'me, and ^ for <T. Carmi is consequently the 
vine of Jah, the lacchus, and Bacchus, of 
the Gentiles. 

niT, Zebdi, is literally ^'j/lf o/" J<^z^. 

m?, Zerah, signifies the Orient, the East. This 
Zerah was of the tribe of Judah, and Judah 
commanded the Eastern division of the camp of the 
Hebrews, where were displayed the twelve signs of 
the Zodiac. 

The words before us literally signify — Fermenta- 
tion, the son of the vi?2e of Jah, the son of the 
gift of Jah, the son of the East, of the tribe of 
Judah, took of the accursed thing. This really 
seems to me to be an allegory relating to the vintage, 
and to the season for making wine. 

We are told at verse 21, that the accursed thing 
consisted of a goodly Babylonish garment, two 
hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of 



ns 



fifty shekels* weight. Tliis has the air of being 
more historical, than the preceding passages. But 
let us inquire, before we decide. 

The Jewish lawgivers were endeavouring, for 
many useful purposes, to introduce the knowledge 
of astronomy, and of the real duration of the 
year, among their countrymen. But they seem to 
have been opposed by the ancient usages and 
prejudices of the people. 

Now I think the trespass of Israel was in not 
adhering to this year. The words ^V"^^ r>")TK 
miD are rendered " a goodly Babylonish garment.*' 
But I find^ that "T\% splendid, glorious, &c. was a 
title frequently addressed by the Tsabaists to the 
objects of their adoration. The Sun was worship- 
ped under the name of 'i^'O IIK Adra-Mdech, 
The Moon was adored by the title of Jdra-Daga, 
The month of February, when the Sun was in 
Pisces, was called Adar ; and I conceive it was so 
named in honor of Adra-Doga, (literally th& 
^ glorious Fish') otherwise called Dagon, The vvord 
^"^"W has been explained in a former Dissertation. 
I then suspect that Adaroth Shan-aar has totally a 



219 



different meaning from that usually given to it. 
Adaroth, like Ashtaroth, was probably an idol of 
the Moon. The Arabian writers tell us, that 
(j^jj^^ Adris was the idol of a star^ and I suspect, 
that this is a corruption of Adaroth, ' 

And two hundred shekels of siher. 

The Jews represented different symbols on their 
shekels, such as the gomer, Aaron's rod, &c. and 
it may be supposed, that the Tsabaists had their 
money struck with symbols which were peculiar to 
themselves. The shekels, which are said to have 
been found at Jericho, probably were stamped with 
emblems in honor of the Moon ; and I cannot 
help suspecting, that the emblem particularly 
alluded to was that of the Moon worshipped under 
the form of Adra-Daga, or Dagon, when the Sun 
was in the sign of Pisces, and when the month was 
called Adar. It appears, that the Persians have 



* Isis, the symbol of the Moon, was represented by the 
Egyptians in the sign of Virgo, and Virgo is called Adarah 
by the Arabians. 



220 



named a certain fish from keseph, which they call 
kesephii ; and the tu o hundred shekels of keseph, 
which we translate silve?', may have borne some 
relation to the idolatrous W'Orship of the Moon. 
In Chaldaic keseph signifies any thing of w^hich the 
color may be expressed by candidus in Latin ; and 
hence metaphorically signified blushing, shame, 
confusion, &c. as well as desire, which seems to be 
a very common meaning of the word in Hebrew. 

And a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, 

wb signifies a tongue, A golden tongue, weigh- 
ing fifty shekels, seems a very odd exhibition of 
riches. But Stockius remarks, that a tongue was 
the type of flame; and gold, according to Clemens, 
was the symbol of light. This tongue of gold then 
was probably an object of the idolatrous reverence 
of the Tsabaists. But let us proceed. 

Joshua had sent men to view Au Now this 
vrord signifies a heap ; and this heap probably was 
no other than the Calendar of the Tsabaists, for it 
is well known that their Calendars were piles of 
3tone^ on which their astronomical observations 



221 



were engraved. But some of the Hebrews still 
retaining the Adaroth Shan-aar, and other symbols 
of the ancient worship, continued to calculate by 
the lunar month, as that ancient worship required. 
While the people persisted in this, the lawgiver 
could not succeed in his design of overthrowing Ai, 
the pile, or heap, or Calendar, which misled the 
populace. 

Ai was situated heV\NeenBith-Ave7i, (read Bith- 
On) and Bit h- El; and these were temples of the 
Sun, under his different titles of 0?i and EL 

It is evident, that the language which now 
follows can be understood to convey no very distinct 
meaning, if it be not allegorical. 

And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty - 
six men. 

The Hebrews having made false calculations 
themselves, and abiding by the lunar year, were 
incapable of reforming the Calendar. The men of 
Ai smote about 36 of them. This number 56 



222 



answers precisely to the number of the decans, 
into which the Orientalists divided the Zodiac. 

For they chased them from before the gate, ex)en 
unto Sheharim. 

"Tl^ti^n ''^S^. I doubt whether this be properly 
rendered from before the gate ; but allowing that 
may be translated from before, I wish to know, 
how n^^t:^ comes so often to signify a gate, which 
meaning it certainly often bears in the scriptures. 
Doctor Parkhurst gives us a verb l^tit, to stand 
erect, and derives a gate, from this verb; but I 
have never found any example of the existence of 
such a verbj, nor do I think his quotation from the 
Targum proves it. The verb ""S^^ signifies to esti- 
mate. Not to detain my reader, I shall remark, 
that signifies a goat ; and that, as Dupuis has 
observed before me, the sign of the goat, or Capri- 
corn, was called the gate of the Sun by the ancient 
Orientalists. 

Unto Shebarim — that is, — unto fractions. 



^23 



Whether, or not, this denote the numerical calcu- 
lations, may be best gathered from the context. 
" The men of the heap, of the Calendar, smote 36, 
amounting to the decans, the divisions of the 
Zodiac, and of the year, and chased them even to 
fractions ; and the reason was, because the Israel- 
ites took of the accursed thing, the symbols of the 
lunar year." 



C. 8. 

In this chapter Joshua is said to have taken Jij 
O^n) the heap, by stratagem ; and it appears, that 
he commanded 30,000 men of valor, that he placed 
5000 men in ambush, and that he slew 12,000 of 
the inhabitants of Ai. Now I find, that some 
ancient nations both of Asia and Europe , had an 
enigmatical manner of denoting any period of time 
by a year, and that cycles, and months, and days, 
were called years ; and I likewise find it indubita- 
bly proved, that they employed the term a 
thousand, for one ; and that where they count by 
thousands^ we must, if we vrould understand them, 
count by units. Thus in the mysterious language 



2£4 



of the ancient Persians, 1,000 years demoted one 
month. We are told in the Zendavesta, that the 
supreme God first created the Man and the Bull 
in a high place, where they remained during 3,000 
years. These 3,000 years comprehended the Lamb, 
the Bull, and the Twins. In this manner the 
twelve signs of the Zodiac are comprehended in 
12,000 years. Ormuzd reigns during the first 
6,000 years, and Ahriman reigns during the 6,000 
which follow. Allies, Taurus, Gemmi, Cancer, 
Leo, Virgo, are allotted to the former; Libra, 
Scorpius, Sagittarius, Capi^icorn, Aquarius, Pisces, 
to the latter. It is clear, then, that by 1,000 years, 
the Persians understood one month, or the passage 
of the Sun through a sign of the Zodiac. According 
to Suidas, the ancient Tuscans taught, that God 
employed 12,000 years in creating and governing 
the world, and that he distributed the 12,000 years 
into twelve periods, answering to the twelve solar 
mansions, or to the twelve signs of the Zodiac. 

The aggregate of four ages, (said Menu, in what 
are termed his oral instructions,) amounting to 
12,000 divine years, is called an age of the Gods. 
When we recollect, how early was the partition of 



225 

the year into four seasons all over the East, we 
shall, perhaps, be inclined to think, that the 12,000^ 
divine years amounted in fact to only twelve 
months. Berosus fixed the period when the Baby- 
lonians commenced their observations at 490,000, 
and Epigenes at 720,000 years before the passage 
of Alexander into Asia. Bailly remarks on this, 
very shortly — Ces ann^es ne sont que des jours. It 
is evident, then, that there were ancient nations, 
among whom the Priests, or learned men, in order 
to conceal their knowledge, employed this kind of 
mysterious calculation, and that, where they 
counted by thousands, we must count by units, if 
we wish to get at the truth. Let us apply this 
remark to the chapter before us. 

It is evident that by adopting the rule which I 
propose, w^e shall bring out the numbers in the text 
thirty — and five— and twelve. Now if I have 
been right all along, in supposing that the history of 
the reform of the year, is related in this book, we 
shall find that these are precisely the numbers 
which we want. Thirty answers to the number of 
days contained in each month of the civil year 
five to the five intercalated days— and twelve to 



the months of the year as established by the Calen- 
dars. But multiply thirty by twelve, and you get ^ 
360, the number of days of the civil year ; to 
which add about five, and you get the number of 
days comprehended in the solar year. 



V. 30. 



Then Joshua built an altar to the Lord God of 
Israel in Mount Ebal. 

by^, Ai'Bel (which our interpreters write Ebal, 
from following, as they generally do, the vicious 
punctuation of the Masorites) signifies the heap of 
Bel'' We must beware of confounding Bel with 
BaaL The latter was a solar title ; but the former 
seems to have been the emblem of the great Serpent, 
or Dragon, of astronomers. It is to be observed, 
that this Dragon was the type of the Moon*s 
course, — the nodes were called the Dragon's head 
and tail, and the greatest elongation of the Moon 
from the ecliptic was named the Dragon's belly. 



221 



Joshua appears to have abolished the lunar year, 
as fixed by the common calendars, and with it, 
probably, many of the idolatrous rites practised by 
the Chaldean Tsabaists in honor of Ashtaroth, or 
the Moon ; and in place of the heap, or Calendar, 
of Bely which was made in conformity with the 
use of the lunar year, he built an altar, perhaps 
another pile, or Calendar, to Jehovah God of 
Israel. In fact, Joshua wrote upon the stones a 
copy of the law of Moses, or as I should translate, 
the second part of the law of Moses. But Moses 
changed the year, and was the first who instituted 
its commencement with the Month Niza7i, and 
with the entrance of the Sun into the sign of the 
Ram, or the Lamb, 

Six tribes w^ere appointed to bless upon mount 
Gerizim, and six to curse on mount Ai-BeL We 
have already remarked, that six signs of the Zodiac 
were allotted by the ancient Persians to Or muz d, 
the principle of good, and six to Ahrimariy the 
principle of evil. 



C,9. 

The first proper name occurring in this chapter, 
which has not been already explained, is Gibeon, 
I know not why Dr. Parkhurst fancied, that ^IJ 
signifies any thing conicaL It means any thing 
that is either convcv, or concave, or, perhaps, 
better, any thing gibbous. I suspect that the Moon 
was sometimes indicated by Gibeon, though it might 
more commonly mean the great concave, the cope 
of heaven. 



V. 10. 

Sihon, King of Heshbon, 

If we follow Rumelinus, we ought to render 
these words, amotio re.v supputationis. It would 
appear, that allusion is made to the removal, or 
more properly the suppression, of the true calcula- 
tion in the Calendars. But I am not quite satis- 
fied about the signification of WD Sihon. In 



229 



Chaldaic linm Heshbon certainly signifies " suppu- 
tation, calculation, or arithmetic." 

Og, King of Bashan, 

Og, signifies he who hath draw?i the circle. ' 
This word is Chaldaic. Bashan, ^ti^n, * according 
to Buxtorf, is a contraction for ]ti^ ri^n Biih Shan, 
The sense of Shan has been already explained. 
He, who draws the circle, King of the temple of 
the personified year, or annual Sun, must, I should 
think, be himself an astronomical personification. 



V. 17. 

Chephirah, il'T'SD. This word is generally 
derived from a milage; but it seems 

rather to belong to 'T'BD, a young lion. I know 
not whether any allusion were made to the sign of 



' See Buxtorf s Chaldaic Lexicon, in voce ^nj?. 

* See Hutch. Vol. 4. Parkburst, in voce ])^, and Buxtorfs 
Chaldaic Lexicon, in voce ju^n. 



230 



Leo. nmi Beeroth, zvells.'' I cannot help 
suspecting, that the orthography of this word is 
incorrect, and that we ought to read r^ni. In all 
events I agree with Mr. Bryant in thinking, that 
Berith and Beeroth indicated the same place. 
Now Berith was named after a God of the Tsaba- 
ists called Baal-Berith. What was the distinctive 
attribute of this God among the hosts of heaven 
has been discussed by Hutchinson and Parkhurst. 
The symbols of the celestial bodies were often 
expressed by trees, as I have had frequent occasion 
to remark. The symbol of Chephirah may have 
been a pine; — that of Beeroth, or Berith, a cedar. 

Vl^^V^ Jinp, Kirjathjearim^ signifies the cities of 
the woods. On the representations of the starry 
hosts by woods, groves, trees, branches, &c. I 
have already spoken at considerable length ; but I 
ought before to have cited the following verses from 
Orpheus : 

OiSsv s^si fxlav al(rap stt) (ppschy oKka xuK%e7rat 
JJoLVTOL TTspi^' (TTTjvai Kuff su [uipog o\) ^i^j^is ^(TtIv. 
^AKTC £X^h 7)p^oLVT0j 8^o/^ou /xspo^ Tcrov shclg'to$. 



^31 



Now I think, that by the operations of the 
branches, the mystic poet indicates the influences 
of the stars. In fact, when we consider how much 
trees vary with the seasons, w^e shall less wonder 
at their being employed as symbols by the Tsabaists. 
The representations of the palm-trees in the temple 
of Jerusalem might lead strangers to think, that 
the religion of the Israelites did not materially 
differ from that of those, who worshipped the hosts 
of heaven under the symbolical forms of groves, 
woods, and trees. 

Interpres legum Solymanim, et magna sacerdos 
Arbor is. 



C. 10. V. 3. 



Adoni Zedek, Every school-boy knows that 
the Adoni of the Phoenicians, whom the Greeks 
called Adonis J was no other than the Sun. The 
epithet of Zedek, " the just," was of course given to 
him by the idolaters. 



252 



D^ti^n^ Jerusalem, Some bring this name from 
to inherit, and ob^, peace; others compound it 
of KIN to fear, and D^t^f. Josephus tells us that 
Jerusalem was anciently called Solymah, which 
must have been written r\ryh^, that is, retribution. 
The Sun, the just Lord, King of retribution (the 
seasons having been established in due order) 
became by the reform of the Calendar I^ing of 
the inheritance of peace. 

Dmrr, Hoham. So we write the word, because the 

Masorites have misled us by their points. In the 
Samaritan character, which was employed by the 

Jews before the captivity, the orthography must 

have been, ^XVL, and consequently in Romaii 

letters EOEM. This is, perhaps, the same with 

the mystical word Om^ which I imagine to have 

been a solar title among the Egyptians, and which 

is still held in the highest veneration by the 

Hindoos. 

Hebron signifies alliance^ cofijunction, union. 
Its ancient name was Kirjath Arba, the city of 
the four." The true return of the four seasons, 
being determined by the reform of the Calendar, 



235 



the city of the four might not improperly be termed 
Hebron, 

Di<")S), Piram. This word is not Hebrew, and I 
believe it to be Egyptian. If upon this point I 
follow Jablonski, I must translate Piram " the 
solar rays;" but perhaps I could express the thought 
better in French — le Soleil rayonnant. 

Jarmuth, This word, according to the 
Onomasticon, signifies altitudines. Piram, King 
of Jarmuth is the radiant Sun, King of altitudes. 

i^^S'', Japhia, is a corruption from n^B'', splendor, 

t^^^b, Lachish, is not to be found in Hebrew; 
but in Samaritan, ^»*i5Z signifies inJiammation,Jlame, 
Sec. I know not the meaning in the passage before 
us. 

Debir, King oj Eglon, 

We have seen, that the temple was a type of 
the universe, and the Debir, yyi, was the oracle, 
or adytum, xb^i^, Eglon, signifies a circle, Mr. 



234 



Harmer observes, that an Arab camp is still always 
round, when the disposition of the ground will admit 
of it, the Prince being in the middle, and the Arabs 
about him, but so as to leave a respectful distance 
between them. Now Debar, or Debir, as M. 
Court Gebelin remarks, was the ancient Arabic 
name for the planet Mercury, the orbit of which 
may be said to include the adytum of the solar 
system. Eglon, being written with an intensitive, 
means the immediate circle; but Debir, or 
3fe7xury, is King of that circle, of which the Sun 
is of course the centre. 



V. 5. 

Five Kinc^s of the Amorites are here described 
as making war against Gibeon, the great concave, 
or vault, of which Joshua, the saviour, or reformer, 
had obtained possession. The civil year contained 
only 360 days ; and the five Kings in the text seem 
to represent the five intercalated days. I have 
said so much on this subject in another place^ that 
I shall be excused from entering further upon 



235 



it, and shall only observe that the story of the 
five Kings in the Book of Joshua appears to be 
nothing else than an astronomical allegory relating 
to the five intercalated days, sufficiently resembling 
the story of the five Kings in the fourteenth chap- 
ter of the Book of Genesis. 

V. 10. 

mrr JT^l, Bith Horon, the house or mansion of 
great heat." But Horon, otherwise written inrr, 
appears to have been a solar title, as I think Mr. 
Hutchinson has observed. It is possible that Horon 
was no other than the Egyptian Hor^ or Horus. 

npry, Azekah, " the zone, the ring." This ring was 
probably an astronomical circle. 

rrrpD, Makedah, signifies the division. 
V. 12. 

Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon^ and thou, 
Moon in the valley of Ajalon, 



'236 



Gibeon seems here to mean the cope, or vault of 
heaven. Ajalon signifies a Ram. The allusion to 
Aries in the Zodiac can hardly be mistaken. But 
wherefore did Joshua command the Sun to stand 
still in the vault of heaven, and the Moon in the 
sign of Aries ? Ought he not to have commanded 
the earth to stand still rather than the Sun? This 
passage has always embarrassed the matter-of-fact 
people. When Joshua commanded the Sun and 
Moon to stand still, I understand an allegory. If 
my reader will consult Bailly, he will find that the 
Egyptians did not admit the five intercalated days 
as making part of the year. This will appear yet 
more evident from the statements made by J ablon- 
ski, Dupuis, &c. The course then of both the 
solar and lunar years was held to be suspended 
during the period of the intercalation ; and the 
Sun and Moon were consequently, (though figura- 
tively) represented as arrested in their course. I 
pretend, that by the five Kings, the five interca- 
lated days were typified. The meaning of the 
allegory then comes out clearly enough. 

So the Sun stood still in the midst of Heaven^ 
and hasted not to go down about a xvhole day. 



237 



The mystical writers of the East did not always 
strictly understand 24 hours by a da]/. In fact, 
they often generally denoted by it a period of time. 
The period of time here implied was probably 
about 126 hours. If, however, the literal inter- 
preters please, I will readily allow that about a 
whole day may also be taken in its usual accepta- 
tion. Though it be true, that the solar year 
consists of about 365 days, and about six hours, 
yet it must have been obvious to astronomers, that 
the sidereal year was about one day longer. That 
the Jews knew the length of the sidereal year is 
evident from a passage in Clemens Alexandrinus, 
which I have cited elsewhere. 



V. 29. 

n^2b, Lihiiah, " the Moon." What do our literal 
interpreters say to this ? Did Joshua fight against 
the Moon? The sense is obvious enough, if we 
take the history as an allegory. Jericho, being 
the word nT with a mu post-fixed, means the 
Moon considered collectively with respect to her 



238 



several quarters. By the taking of Jericho, there- 
fore, we were to understand the reform of the lunar 
month. Libnah, " the Moon/' so called from its 
color, seems to denote the rising Moon. After 
the old Calendars were destroyed, in which the 
duration of the lunar month had been wrongly 
stated, it was still necessary to rectify the observa- 
tions, and to fix the rising of the new Moon by 
surer calculations. 



V. 33. 

ann, Horcnn, ^fr. Hutchinson thinks that this 
was the real name whence the Greeks made Hermes. 
This Horam then was probably no other than an 
astronomer, who came to help Lachish, of the 
meaning of which I am ignorant, unless it signify 
jiame. We cannot, however, doubt that an astrono- 
mical allusion was intended. Horam is called 
King of Gezer. Now Gezer, it:i, signifies a 
segment ; and hence augurs and astrologers were 
called mo Gezein^i by the Chaldeans, as observers 
©f the segments of the sphere. 



2sg, 

V.41. 

Kadesh Barnea. Barnea, is a word to 

which I can affix no sense. 

nr^, Gaza. The real existence of Gaza as a 
city cannot be questioned. Rumelinus thinks that 
it signifies a fortified place, and n?i^ nia}^ certainly 
be so understood. But I have already remarked, 
that both Palestine and Egypt were divided, and 
their districts and cities were named, with a distinct 
reference to the astronomical divisions, and to the 
mythology of those^ whose business it w^as to study 
science, and whose policy led them to involve that 
science in a system of mystery, which showed itself 
in every branch of their government, and in every 
part of their institutions. We find in Egypt, that 
Mendes was a district of country; but we also 
find that Mendes was a type of the Sun in the sign 
of Capricorn, and that Mendes signified a goat. I 
observe that nt^ Gaza may signify a goat, and that 
jcJ was an Arabiafi idol ; and^ in the midst of so 
many astronomical allusions, I suspect that Gaza 
may have been transplanted from heaven to earth. 



Goshan. Mr. Bryant has proved that this 
signifies " the house or habitation of Shan — the 
annual Sun." Goshan was consequently the Zodiac. 



C. 11. V. 1. 

Jabin. According to Rumelinus, this word 
ought to signify an intermediate space, 

nitn, Hazor, means the hall, or interior. Evident 
allusion is here made to the divisions of the temple, 
which was the type of the universe. 

2y\\ Jobab. This word clearly comes from 2y*. 
In Hebrew it seems to bear no sense but "vocifera- 
tion; and this would be a very odd name for a 
King. But I must take refuge in allegory. In 
Syriac and in Geez, Jobab signifies jubilee. The 
name, therefore, suits the subject, if I be right in 
my interpretation of this book. 

IIID, Madon, signifies the great measure, exten- 
sion^ also mensuration. The meaning seems to be, 



Ml 



that the author of the jubilee, or new year, is called 
the King of the measure, or of mensuration. Can 
this be an historical personage ? The Arabians 
worshipped an idol by this name ^Ijvii^ But Jobab 
was probably erroneous in his mensuration, and 
was therefore leagued with the astrologers against 
Joshua. 

HIDli^, Shim7'on, " the great guard, the keeper 
of the watch" — custos. 

^t£^3K, Achshaph — -signifies " a necromancer, an 
astrologer, &c," 



V. % 

Chinneroth — the lyres. I confess myself 
puzzled with this name. It probably denotes the 
stars in the Lyre, 

nil, Bor originally signifies " any thing circular 
in its form." 



242 



V. 3. 

PDirr, Hermon, This word comes from nnn, 
arsit ; and seems to signify great heat. The Sun 
was called Baal Hermon, probably the same as 
Hor. 

nSiJD, Mizpeh is " a place of speculation, or 
observation" — probably an obsermto7y. 

V. 5. 

Q1*1D, Me7'07?2. Stockius thinks that this signi- 
fies exaltation. There are many of these names 
which it is difficult to explain; but we can understand 
enough to perceive, that perpetual references are 
made to astronomical symbols. 

V. 8. 

Xn% Zidon — "The hunter." Sagittarius, Bootes, 
and Orion, were denominated hunters among the 
constellations. The hunter Adonis was the God 



us 



of the Zidonians, who seem to have called their 
city Zidon, *^ the hunter," after their God. 

Misrephoth must come from ^'^^ a fiery ser^pent, 
and I have little doubt that the a^SlIti^ were types 
of the starry hosts. A serpent was the hiero- 
glyphic, by which the course of the stars was 
expressed. 

V. 17. 

pbrr, Halek signifies an equal partition. 

^W, Seir signifies a goat and might have 
denoted the sign of Capricorn. 

1^ bv^, Baal Gad, A cluster of stars in Capri- 
corn was called Gad. 

V. 21, 

n'^pIV Anakim — " collars, zones, circles.*^ These 
have been converted into giants by the commenta- 
tors ; but it is pretty clear, that they signify the 
circles employed by astrologers. 



244 



:i:3;ir, Anab signifies a grape in Hebrew, and why 
should not a mountain be called a grape ? Let us 
observe, that the season for gathering grapes was 
when the Sun was in the sign of Leo, the emblem 
of Judah. 

V. 22. 

rs^y Gath, according to Bochart, signifies cattle; 
according to the lexicographers, a wine press* 

"rWK, Ashdod, I cannot help thinking that an 
idol of the Tsabaists was thus called. My reader 
may, however, consult Parkhurst in voce iv. But 
I will fairly confess, that the latter part of this 
chapter appears by no means so distinct, or to bear 
allusions to astronomy in so clear a manner as the 
preceding parts of the book. This may be, 
because the mystic language of Oriental science 
can only be partially understood at the present day. 

C. 12. V. 1. 

Arnon signifies an ark, a chest, Sec. also 
an elm-tree. There certainly was a river called 



M5 



Arnoji ; but so were there rivers called the Nile, 
the Gihon, the Niger, and the Eridanus, which yet 
served for astronomical symbols. I think, that 
X^yyt^ '^ni signifies the valley of the river rf Nun ; 
and that lOTK is written for V)J ; nor is this 
without authority. We find defective for 
in Amos, c. 8. v. 8. But the Nile, by wliich name 
both the river of Aquarius, and the river of Orion 
were known, was called Again, the Syrians 

and Chaldeans called both Cetus and Pisces by 
the name of Nun. The rivers of Aquarius and 
of Ono;2 were joined in the Egyptian planispheres. 
The river of Nun, or of the Fish, consequently 
extended along the border of Pisces to Pise is 
Austi^alis, and to Cetus^ or the Whale. 

V. % 

^V^V, Aroer in Hebrew signifies naked ; but in 
Chaldaic it signifies a griffin, an eagle, a kind of 
hawk, &c. Is this then the constellation which we 
call Phoenix ? Perhaps Aroer is the same with 
the Egyptian Arueris. 



245—2 



The Phoenix is a name generally supposed to 
have been given by modern navigators to the 
Constellation so called in our globes. This, how- 
ever, does not appear to me to have been the 
case : the Constellation must have been visible in 
Egypt, and the brilliant beside it could not have 
failed to attract the attention of the Arabians, 
who, I am led to believe from many circumstances, 
have known it under the name of the eagle, griffin, 
or Phoenix, from the most remote antiquity. Our 
astronomers probably called the Constellation 
Phoenix from the example of the Arabians. 

I have been led to hold this opinion from several 
circumstances. 

1. It appears, that the ancient Arabians 
adored an idol under the form of an eagle, and 
this eagle was an image of one of the celestial 
signs. Consult Hyde Hist. Vet. Pers. and 
Gohus, in voce Now I think this was neither 
the eagle, nor the vulture, but the Phoenix. 



245—5 



2. We learn from Herodotus, 1. ii. c. 73. and 
froin Pliny, 1. x. c. 2. that the Phoenix was fabled 
to have come from Arabia. The Constellation so 
called by us, with the great star beside it, A char- 
nar, is distinctly visible during the summer months 
in Arabia. 



3. The Phoenix was the type of the Sothic 
year among the Egyptians. See Tacit. Ann, 1. 6. 
Be it observed, that when Sothis rises, the Con- 
stellation of Phoenix comes to the meridian. It 
is then entirely visible in the Thebais. 



4. It seems probable, that the Phoenix was 
marked as a distinct Constellation by the Egypt- 
ians; for though it contains a small number of 
stars visible to the eye, yet if we reckon Acharnar 
among them, we shall find one star of the first, 
and three stars of the second, magnitude in this 
Constellation. 



245—4 



5. The Egyptians feigned the Phoenix to come 
from Arabia. In fact, the Constellation so called 
authorises this fable by its course through the 
Heavens. 



6. Erasmus says, that the Phoenix was the 
symbol of the year, or of the annual revolution. 
This Constellation, in fact, rose to the Egyptians 
shortly before the commencement of their sacred 
year. Had they known no such Constellation^ the 
observation of Erasmus must be unfounded ; and 
Erasmus was not a person likely to speak lightly 
on such subjects. 



7. The Phoenix is placed not far from the 
Altar, with respect to latitude. The relation 
between the Constellations of the Phoenix and 
the Altar seems to be pointed out by some of the 
Roman authors. Thus Tacitus, who probably did 
not consider the Phoenix as a Constellation, 



£45—5 

expresses himself in words which are by no means 
distinct, if the Egyptians did not consider the 
Phoenix as a Constellation in the same region of 
the Heavens with the Altar ; (inque Solis Aram 
perferre, &c.) Then Claudian in his Phoenix has 
the following words : 



' " • — — Jam destinat aris 

Semina reliquiasque sui ; myrrhata relucent 
Limina ; divino spirant altaria fumo. 



8. But there is a passage in this same Claudian, 
which I cannot understand, if the Phoenix had 
not been reckoned a Constellation by the ancient 
Arabians and Egyptians. 



— • Rutilo cognatum vertice sidus 

Attollit^ crispatus apex, 8cc. 



I 



246 



l^b^f Gilead, This word has been variously inter- 
preted — scatiirigo perpetua^ and acerms testimoniu 
Now if my reader will turn to the Egyptian plani- 
spheres edited by Kircher, he will find that an 
altar, and a river, are designated as two iconisms 
belonging to the sign of Aries, or Amnion, I must 
remark again, that among the Egyptians, the river 
of Orion seems to have been represented as a 
continuation of the river of Aquarius. 

\>y, Jabhoh I know not the meaning. This 
was, however, the border of Amman, or of the 
Sun in Aries, This brook flowed by Gilead, and 
it would seem, (Cant 4.) that Solomon alludes to 
its bordering on Amnion, when he speaks of the 
flocks shorn and washed there. 



V. 5. 



/lIDtt^ nu? Bith Jeshimoth, Mr. Hutchinson has 
written at ^^reat lencrth on these words. I cannot 
follow him in all his whimsical though ingenious 



247 



notions. I understand, generally, that Bith Jeshi- 
moth signifies " the temple of the heavens." 

njJDBrr nnm, Ashdoth Pisgah, I derive Ashdoth 
from ^Tt:^. ' The nt:^, or WIV, were certainly idols 
worshipped by the Tsabaists; and I suspect Ashdoth 
to have been of the number. Pisgah signifies a 
hill in Hebrew, but in Chaldaic it may be rendered 
the segment of a circle. 



V. 4. 



y\V h^lX Instead of the coast of Og, I under- 
stand the boundary of a circle. This boundary of 
the circle, or border of the Zodiac, is figuratively 
called King of Bashan, which is Bith-Shan, " the 
temple of the annual Sun.*' But we have seen that 
the Sun's annual course had been falsely calculated 
by the astrologers and Tsabaists. It is added, that 
Bashan was of the remnant of the Giants, that 
dwelt at Ashteroth and at Edrei, Now I am not 



* See Hutchin&on, Vol. 4. 



248 



convinced, thatD''N3*i is properly translated 
I rather think with Parkhurst, that the Rephaim 
were so called as restorers of the worship of the 
Moon. They dwelt at Ashteroth and at EdreL 
Ashteroth was a name very generally given to the 
Moon by the Tsabaists. '!i?*nK, Edrei, is a word 
to which I can affix no meaning. It is probably a 
corrupt spelling for niK. 



V. 5. 



nO^D, Salcah. I have the authority of the 
Onomasticon for saying, that the letters in this 
name are transposed ; and^ indeed, Salcah is a 
word to which I can give no sense. The true 
reading then is n^DD, and this was probably of the 
D^^DD, constellations," which arose in the cold 
season in the month and perhaps might have 
indicated ^''DD, Orion* This constellation is a parana- 
tellon of Taurus. If Herrnon be the same as 
Hor, 1 oujzht to observe that the station of Hor 
was in Taurus, which rises in the month Chisleu, 
or November, about the beginning of the night. 



249 



^*Tlt£^:i, Geshiirites* This word is apparently a 
compound. I have already had occasion to remark 
that the :) prefixed to another word, seems to indi- 
cate a mansion. It is possibly a contraction from 
the ancient Persian U. There is no such word as 
geshur in Hebrew, and I am, therefore, the more 
confident of the truth of the etymology, which I am 
about to propose. Geshurites ought, accord- 

ing to my observation, to be composed of ^ for 
a mansion, and hulls, — the mansion of the 
bullsj^^ by which I understand the stars included in 
the sign of Taurus. I have something further to 
remark. We write Geshurites, but there is no 
proof, that the first syllable was not pronounced 
ga, or go, or gu. Now be it observed, that accord- 
ing to Anquetil, the sign of Taurus was called Gao, 
or Go, by the ancient Chaldeans and Persians. Be 
this as it may, however, I have no great doubts, 
that the sign of Taurus was indicated by the word 
before us. 

■"JlDi^JD, Maachathites, These Maachathites 
probably appertained unto Maachah, ^'_a Deity of 
the Tsabaists,'* whose temple is mentioned in the 
second Book of Samuel What might have been 



^50 



the place of Maachah among the constellations, I 
cannot pretend to say. 

V. 14. 

TTJ^, Arad signifies a snake^ a serpent. Proba- 
bly the constellation coluber, 

I have already given the explanations of many 
of the names contained in the remainder of this 
chapter; but some of them are to me, at least, 
incapable of affording any meaning. There seems, 
however, to be pretty clear proof, that the whole 
relates to astronomy. Out of 31 names we find 
the following. 

Jericho^ " the Moon's quarters." 
Ai, the pile, heap, or Calendar.'' 
JEglon, " the circle, or sphere." 
-Arady " the serpent, or adder/' 
Libnah, the Moon/' 

Bith'El, " the house, or temple of the Sun." 



251 



Madon, " measure, measurement." * 

Achshaph, " an astrologer, astrology/' 

Gilgaly " the revolving sphere, the celestial 
sphere." 

Without entering further into the question, I 
may be permitted to observe, that these names seem 
to bear more reference to the heavens than to the 
earth. But I have remarked that Egypt was 
partitioned into 30 districts, answering to each day 
of the month in the civil year. Here we have 31 
Provinces ; and I shall leave it to my reader to 
find out the enigma, by the help of the five Kings 
of the Amorites. 

C. 13. V. 2. 

L:i^TWb% Philistines^ the revolvers^ or wanderers. 
These revolvers were probably belonging to the 
celestial hosts— possibly the planets. 



■ It would seem, that the Sun was adored under this name* 
The Arabians had an idol called Madan. 



252 



V3. 

y\rfW, Sihor signifies the dawn. 

^bplVi^, Eskalonites, the Balancers. I know not 
"whether an allusion be here made to the sign of 
Libra. 

Avites, the oblique ones, the obliquities. 
Does this refer to the obliquity of the Ecliptic? 

V. 5. 

"h^^, Giblites, " the borderers." 

ilDn, Hamuth^ " the pitcher;" — possibly the 
urn of Aquarius. 

K^TD, Midebay ' the stream of water" — possibly 
the river of Aquarius. ' 



« See Rumelin. 



253 

pnni Dibon, " the great bear" — Ursa Major. 



V. 15. 

We now come to the allotments made to the 
tribes of Reuben and Gad, and to half the tribe 
of Manasseh. It will be remembered that Aqua^ 
rius was the emblem of Reuben. 

I have already had occasion to remark, that in 
the Egyptian Zodiacs, the river of Aquarius, and 
the river of Orion seem to have been united. I 
have also observed, that Nun, or Non, was a name 
not only given to Cetus but to Pisces, The coast 
of Reuben, then, was from Aroer (Phcenix) in 
the V alley of the river of Nun (the Fish either 
Cetus, or Pisces,) and all the plain by Medeba, 
which signifies a stream, according to Rumelinus, 
and by which I understand the constellations 
combined of Eridanus and the river of Aquarius^ 
generally called the River, 

Among the cities allotted to Reuben, whose 
emblem was Aquarius^ I find the following. 



I 

254 



Dibo72, " the great bear." 

Bith Baal Meon, The house of the Lord of 
Meon." I find that the Egyptians called the sign 
of Aquarius Mon^ ' with the Latin termination 
MonlusJ^ 

Bamoth Baal, " the high places, the altars, of the 
Lord, the Sun." Janus, or the Sun in Aquarius, 
was represented by the Etruscans, who derived 
their religion from the East, as seated on a throne 
composed of twelve altars. 

Kedemoth signifies " the Eastern parts." 

Zareth'Shahar, " the splendor of the dawn." 

Bith'Peor. Peor was no other than Hor, or 
Or, with the Egyptian prefix. ^ Now the station 



" See Dupuis, Vol. 5. 

* Maori, Meon, Mon, were solar, and Maonahf Menah, 
Monah, lunar titles of the most remote antiquity. But see 
Court Gebelin. Vol. 4. 

^ See my Essay on a Punic Inscription, 



255 



of Hor was in Taurus ; and when Taurus comes 
to the Meridian, Aquarius begins to rise. 

MidiaJi signifies jneasure, mensuration, " 

Zur, splendor,^' 

Hur, " brilliancy** 

Reba, a fourth part." Reuben commanded a 
fourth part in the camp of the Hebrews. 

Balaam. I derive this word from ^^1, " to swallow 
up." Balaam was probably the astronomical dragon, 
of which I have already spoken. ' 

The emblem of the tribe of Gad was Aries. 
Some of the names of the cities are not intelligible 
to me, though they are explained in the Onomasti- 
con. The truth is, that any signification, however 
absurd, is adopted by the lexicographers, who 



■ Perhaps the same wj'th Madon. 



256 



have been misled by the Masorites. Thus we find 
Jazer made to signify auiiliabitur Deus, But 
has this word no connexion with which was 
a part of the temple,^ — the temple being a type of 
the universe ? I only give this as an example, and 
much more striking ones might be adduced, of 
the absurd etymologies which have been given of 
names, many of which are not Hebrew. 

Aroer — already explained. See the celestial 
globe for the relative positions of Aries and PhceniJC. 
I pass over several names which have either been 
explained, or which are of easy solution. 

Betonim, or Botenim — literally the Bellies, 
This is a strange name for a place ; but observe, 
the stars forming the belly of Aries, are still called 
Boten by the Persians and Arabians. ' 

Nimrahy from nemer a leopard." The 

constellation which we call the wolf is named 



* Alfrag. c. 22. Ulug Beig. p. 58, 



257 



nemer by the Arabians. It is a paranatellon of 
Aries, We may, therefore, understand what is 
meant by Gad s having possessions in the valley of 
Bith-Nimrah. 

In the valley of Bith-Aram (a most vicious 
orthography) Gad of course had possessions, at 
least, if I be right in thinking that D")rT were those 
belonging to Hor, The station of Hor was in 
Taurus, and the tail of Aries occupies the inter- 
val between the signs, which figuratively may be 
called the valley. 

Succoth (or Succoth Benoth). 

This is the Syrian name of the Pleiades, which 
are on the back of Taurus, close to Aries. ' 

Zaphon signifies " the North." 



' But perhaps Succoth here may be derived from the 
Chaldaic HDD, which signifies " to speculate, to observe, &c/' 
In another place we shall find that the men of Succoth indi- 
cated the observers of the stars. 

R 



258 

Mahanaim, the encampments of the celestial 
hosts." 

The half tribe of Manasseh seems to have 
inherited half the portion of Simeon and Levi, 
whose joint standard displayed the sign of Pisces. 
My reader will remember, that the Ram encroaches 
on Pisces, 

Jair, Rumelinus makes this signify the Lord 
will illustrate. But it seems a corruption for 
already explained. 

Machir, n'^DD, this is not from "13D, to sell, but 
from ID, agnus, Aries. 

Moab, I believe to have been a title of the 
Moon. The Sun was hailed Ab, the Father, 
Mo-ab' — like to the Father. 



C. 14. 

This chapter contains an account of the petition 
of Caleb, who obtained Hebron for his inheritance. 



259 



But Caleb is the name by which the Dog-star, 
or Sirius, is known in Hebrew, Syriac, and Arabic. 
Caleb received Hebron, *' union, conjunction/' which 
had formerly been called Kirjath-Arba, " the city 
of the four/' for his inheritance. Now a short 
extract from Bailly will, perhaps, explain this alle- 
gory. " Le changement du lever de cette ^toile 
(Sirius) qui retardoit d'un jour tons les 4 ans, 
donna lieu aux Egyptiens de former une petite 
p6riode de 4 ann^es, qui ^toit precis^ment celle de 
nos ann^es bissextiles ; p6riode qu*ils designoient 
sous rembl6me d'un arpent de terre, marquant la 
premiere annee par un quart d'arpent, la seconde 
par deux quarts, &c." Caleb, or Sirius, is figura- 
tively represented in the text, as obtaining possess- 
ion of Hebron, which had been called the city of 
the four, with an apparent, if not an evident, refer- 
ence to this canicular period. 



C. 15. 



The sign of Leo was the emblem of Judah. 



260 



V. L 

DHK, Edom signifies redness. The country of 
Idumcea was thence named. But it is to be 
observed, that allegory was seldom lost sight of in 
the names and divisions of districts. In the quadri- 
lateral camp of the Hebrews, the lion, the standard 
of Judah, was displayed at the North-east corner ; 
and the man with the urn, or Aquarius, the stand- 
ard of Reuben, at the South-east corner. Now 
Edom may be either from a man, or DTK, 

a ruby, and a ruby was the stone consecrated to 
the tribe of Reuben ; and a man was the emblem 
displayed on his standard. Leo and Aquarius are 
opposite signs. 

The wilderness of Zin, 

I have already explained the meaning of HID. 
Zin is not so easily interpreted. According to 
some it signifies a thorn, or palm-tree. But I 
observe, that 'ny^ in Chaldaic signifies cold, and 



^6] 



signifies an urn. Can it bear this meaning 
from the colds brought by the urn of Aquarius?^ 

V. 2. 

n'^D the salt sea, Josephus clearly shows, 
that the sea was one of the enigmatical types, 
by which the hemisphere was expressed, and that 
the brazen sea in the temple was thus intended. 

V. 3. 

" And it went out to the south side to 
Maaleh Acrahhimr This does not appear 
to be the meaning of the original. I trans- 
late, and it went out opposite from the 
south side to Maaleh Acrahhimr Now Maaleh 



' Zin is also a solar title, the same with Zoan^ Zan, &c. 
This name is Egyptian, for the Egyptians, as may be seen 
from the remarks of Bochart, frequently changed the aleph 
mdjod. 



262 



Acrabbim signifies " the ascent, or height of the 
Scorpions." In fact the emblem of Dan, \vhich 
was taken from the sign of Scorpius was placed 
to the north in the quadrilateral camp of the 
Hebrews. 

Adar, read Adarak, already explained. 

Karkaa, I know not the meaning ; but the 
floor of the temple (which was a type of the universe) 
was called Karkaa. 



Y. 4. 

" From thence it passed towards Azmon'' 
Rumelinus makes Azmon signify validus. I know 
not the meaning. 

V. 6. 

Bith Hogla. There is no such word as rhyn, 
Hogia, in Hebrew. I derive it from the S}Tiac 



26s 



W^^, and translate Bith-Hogla " the house of the 
circle, or the temple of the circle," \Yhich seems to 
have been personified and deified by the Tsabaists. ' 

Bith'Arahah, This Arahah appears to have 
been another Deity of the Tsabaists. * 

Bohan, ini. This word, according to the lexico- 
graphers, may signify either " a thumb, or a great 
toe." This is a very odd name for the son of 
Reuben to have taken. I know not the meaning. 

D^Dli^5 Adumim, " The red ones." Can these be 
tlie Hyades. Scaliger and Bayer say that Akkba- 
ran was called DIK Adum by the Hebrews. 

Eti'She77iesh, the fountain of the Sun." 



' But see also Hutchinson, vol. 4. 

* If I recollect rightly. Court Gebelin says that Ardot or 
Arabahf or Urbah, was the ancient oriental name of the 
planet Venus ; but as he does not give the original characters, 
I know not whether the word be the same. 



^64 



Without entering into the metaphysical specula- 
tions of Mr. Hutchinson, I shall agree to his 
physical explanation of the word Shemesh, or 
Shemoshf which I understand to signify " the solar 
light, receding from the fire at the orb of the Sun." 
It A juld seem, however, that the Tsabaists personi- 
fied and deined Shanesh, and that they principally 
adored this irradiation, or solar effulgence, at the 
risiD j; 01 th^ Sun. The fountain of Shemesh may, 
therefc/e, indicate the Orient; and I understand 
this to be the meaning in the passage before us. 
Tcuhmis the waters of En-Shemesh may be, there- 
fore, taken either literally, or metaphorically ; but 
in the midst of so much allegory I am inclined to 
adopt the figurative sense. 

E7i-Rcgely the fountain of the fuller," according 
to the Rabbins. Their manner of obtaining this 
sense is truly very ingenious. hT\ regel, signifies 
a joot. Now when a fuller washes clothes in a 
fountain, he treads on them xvith his feet, in order 
to clean them. What is so clear then^ as that the 
fountain of the foot, is the fountain of the fuller? 
But further, the LXX and Jerome write PwysA, 
and Rcgel ; and the infallible Masorites authorise 



265 



this reading by their punctuation. But I find that 
^yi never signifies a fuller^ except when question 
is made of this fountain ; and in spite of the autho- 
rity of R. Solomon, and R. Kimchi, I shall trans- 
late the word byiy without the least regard to distinc- 
tions, which did not exist until near a thousand 
years after the Hebrew ceased to be spoken. In 
a word, I look upon the Masoretic punctuation to 
be the most impertinent imposition that ever was 
practised. For En-Rogel, I read Ahi-Regel ; and 
I observe that Regel is the name still given to the 
brilliant star in the left foot of Orion. I must 
further observe, that the word ain, which we find 
so often improperly written e?? in the Enghsh Bible, 
signifies originally an eye. Now eyes were certain- 
ly symbols, by which the celestial orbs w^ere 
frequently denoted. The story of Argus is a pretty 
clear illustration of this assertion. One of the 
symbols of Osiris, or the Sun, w as an eye. Sallust, 
the philosopher, called the Sun the eye of heaven, 
and his mythological knowledge can hardly be 
disputed. —But I must return to my subject. 



266 



V. 8. 

Hinnom, " the son of Hinnom,'' (i. e. of lamenta- 
tations,) possibly indicated the Sun, when the 
Tsabaists mourned his fictitious death at the autum- 
nal equinox, and wept for him under the various 
names of Osiris, Adonis, Thammuz, ^sarah, &c. 



9. 

niDBi, Nephtoah, ^ appellative, and m/lSJ. Now 
nin5, or rrilS), appears to me to have been precisely 
the same with the Phtha of the Egyptians ; nor 
do I doubt that the noLTai}{oi, mentioned by Hero- 
dotus, were any thing else than images of this 
Deity. Phtha was the Vulcan of the Egyptians ; 
and I have no hesitation in believing that the true 
name was written nns Phthah ; But we find the 
guttural was often either dismissed, or softened, or 
changed into an aleph^ or into a shin. Thus Hero- 
dotus ought to have written UaTuixoh but he 



267 

wrote with the single letter, and thus softened the 
sound. The iEolic Greeks and the Latins continu- 
ally changed the aspirate into an as when they 
wrote sej^ for s^, &c. The Copts seem to have 
done the same thing ; and they appear to have 
written <J>03!XUf Phthas iov Pht hah, Sind I observe 
that the Greek sometimes write and some- 

times 4>SoLg. But I hasten to what it is most 
important for me to observe. The Phoenician 
Phthah, and the Egyptian Phtha, Phthah, or 
Phthas, were the same Deity with the "H<pai(rTog of 
the Greeks, and with the Vulcan of the Latins. 
Now by this God the Stoics typified their primor- 
dial fire ; and I am led to agree with La Croze in 
thinking, that the Egyptians also indicated by this 
Pthah the Tsabaoth, or " hosts of heaven." The 
name of Pthah seems clearly to be included in 
ninS)i; but I cannot trace the allusion further; 
nor point out more precisely what is meant. 

\TWy Ephron, Rumelin translates this name 
oppidum pulverulentum. I shall have occasion to 
speak again on this subject. 



268 



rh^2, Baalah, This was a title of the Moon, ag 
Baal was of the Sun, 

Seir, a goat" — Probably Capricorn 

Mount Jearim, The mountain of woods wa» 
probably a type of the starry heavens, worshipped 
by the idolators under the symbols of trees, groves, 
woods, &c. 

V. 10. 

Chesahn. In the Onomasticon this word 
translated spes, fiducia^ &c ; and a very pretty 
name for a place it is, whether we make it Hope^ 
or Confidence. But I cannot help observing, that 
tl^DD, in spite of its intensitive, and in spite of the 
masorah, is not very unlike to ^DD, whence is ^^DD, 
the constellation of Orion'' We shall have more 
of this presently. 

mDil, Timnah, This word is Chaldaic. It 
signifies " an octant, or eighth part of the circle" — it 
may also mean a portion. 



269 



V. 11. 



\T\ t£f, Shicron, (written n^JI^^Dt^ in the original) 
is clearly a derivative from n2t£^. I have already 
shown that Cancer was the emblem of "iDti^'' Issachar, 
with the jo d appellative.) I have now to 
observe, that the Egyptians made Cancer the 
station of Hermanubis, — or of Hermes with the 
head of a hawk, or of an ibis ; and that the sign 
was often designated by the head of a hawk, or 
ibis, as may be seen in Kircher. But on turning 
to Buxtorf's Chaldaic Lexicon, my reader will 
find that 'lyD signifies a hazvk. We may write 
X^'^'yD Shicron, or nDt:?^ Issachar, and we may follow 
the vicious punctuation of the Masorites, but to 
the Hebraist, ^yi)"^ issachar (ishcar) is only distin- 
guished from ^^yi) by a jod appellative, as \T)yD 
Shicron is still the same word with an intensitive \\ 
By Shicron, then, I understand the hawk, or ibis, 
by which the sign of Cancer was anciently denoted 
by the Egyptians, who likewise were accustomed 
to place there a beetle, which the Greeks seem to 
have mistaken for a crab. 



'270 



bi^n\ JabneeL The lexicographers make this 
name to signify cddificare faciei Deus, 

^K, El in the composition of these Canaanite 
names does not signify Deus, but Sol I shall 
now leave the literal interpreter to make what he 
can of JabneeL 

V. 14. 

p^^—Anak — " the collar, or necklace, &c." But 
the Rabbins tell us that Anak was a celebrated 
giant. What could induce this giant to call himself 
anak, a necklace? Perhaps the literal interpre- 
ters can inform us. In the text, however, we find 
p^i^n, the necklace; so he was the necklace kolt 

I observe that Caleb, Sirius, takes possession of 
the country of Anah I suspect then, that Anak 
has some reference to astronomy. The verb pi^r 
signifies to bind, or to girt round and the sub- 
stantive, therefore, may be translated " a belt, a 
zone," with as much propriety as a necklace. What 



'271 



then if Anak be an astronomical zone the Eclip- 
tic for example. Now we know, that the Sothic 
year, or cycle, was determined by the heliacal 
rising of Sirius ; and by this canicular period as it 
was called, the true duration of the year was deter- 
mined, and the conjunctions of the Sun and Moon 
were fixed in the same points of the heavens. 



V. 14, 

And Caleb drove thence the three sons of Anak 
(the circle or zone) Sheshai, and Ahiman and 
Talmai. 

Rumelinus, and the lexicographers, make these 
names bear very singular significations. Sheskai 
means the decrepit of God— Ahiman, the brother 
is like—wcid Talmai, is a furrow. The explana- 
tions of Bochart are scarcely more to the purpose ; 
and I must consign these names to the obscurity 
in which I found them, only observing that Ahimon^ 
according to Munster^, was an idol of the Tsabaists, 



V. 15. 

Kirjath^Sepher. " The city of the book, or 
record/* — by which was probably meant the false 
calendar. 

I shall pass over the remaining names that occur 
in this episode concerning Caleb, to none of which 
I can give any meaning, for I cannot, in contradic- 
tion to common sense, and even to the true etymo- 
logy, translate Achsah, the stocks J' Othniel, " th& 
gentleness of God,'' and Kenaz, " loss,'' as lias been 
done by the lexicographers. It is evident that 
these, like the rest, were allegorical names, the 
meaning of which can no longer be traced. I 
return to the inheritance of Judah^ whose emblem 
was Leo» 

Kdbzeel, ^?K-2np, literally the congregation of 
the Sun, Leo is the station of Sol 



275 



Ti^, Eder, means a herd of any animals. This 
would be a strange name to give to a place. The 
animals of the Zodiac were probably understood. 

TO, Jagur, is composed of formative, and *y\x 
a lions whelp. The Sun in the first decan of Leo 
was possibly represented under this form ; and 
this may have been named 11:1 Gur BaaL^ 
We also hear of Maalah-Gur, the ascent of the 
lion's whelp/* 

Kinah. The lexicographers bring this word 
from rpj and they render it lament alio. I cannot 
consider the as a radical; I read m^p, for mp, 
a measuring rod, or, according to Rumelin, scapus 
in staterd, unde hilances dependent. The allusion 
may then be to Libra. 

Dimonah, Terra hfiuxu excrementorum dicta, 
Rumel. I cannot believe it. The tribe of Judah 



' 2nd Chron. 

s 



274 



would have refused a possession so offensive to 
their olfactory nerves. It appears to me, that 
Dimonah was a title given to the Moon. Di is a 
radical of remote antiquity, to be found in many 
languages, signifying, clay^ Ught^ &c. which was 
thence given to their Deities by the Tsabaists. 
Monah, or Manah, or Menah, is a name not less 
common to the Moon. Concerning both words my 
reader may consult M. Court Gebelin, vol. 4. 
Dimonah then is Dea Luna, or perhaps, lu.v Lance, 

Adadah. As this word is written lD)nV, it is 
difficult to determine the meaning. We know, 
however, that Adad was a solar title, and though 
the orthography does not authorise the inference, the 
sound may lead us to conclude, that Adadah was a 
title of the Moon. The word Adad, the solar title 
mentioned by Macrobius, must have come from*7^^^. 



V. 25. 

Ithnan, is compounded of ^ formative, anct 
UJI? ^ serpent, or dragon. The allusion seems 



275 



to be to the great constellation Hydra, under the 
feet of Leo. 

. V. 24. 

5)''?, Ziph. This word is not Hebrew. Rume« 
linus makes it signify a pledge ; but this is a 
forced meaning, if it can be obtained at all from 
the Chaldaic. 

D^D, Telem. There is no such word in Hebrew. 
In Chaldaic it signifies oppression ; but this would 
be a strange proper name. 

Bealoth— Ladies— hut as these ladies were 
idols of the Moon, or lunar emblems, I must 
consider them as such. 

V. 25. 

nnin, Hadattah; this word is Chaldaic^ and 
signifies the new moon. 



276 



V. 26. 

tD^i^, Amam, mother." Possibly the Moon, 
under her character of the magna mater^ may be 
meant : But of this we shall speak presently. 

^^V, Shema, " audit us'' Onom. This would 
be a singular proper name. I suspect the word 
to be wrongly written. 

I observe that the Arabians name the two brilli- 
ant stars in Virgo, which we call Spica and 
Protygeter (not Arcturus, as Golius has it) SX^W 
i^jsTiS and Now whether the 

Arabians have changed the radical ain for the 
radical kef, I cannot venture to decide, but it is 
possible that the ancient name of Spica was i^JDt^, 
and that the Arabians have altered the sound to 
«^CU*M.. Kircher says that the station of the Moon 
in this part of the sign is called Zamach» 

rrhyo, MoMah, the offspring," from n!?>. We 



27? 



have seen that Aviam signifies a mother, I have 
said that allusion might be made to the Magna 
Mater. But the Magna Mater was no other than 
the Dea Multlmammia^ the Phrygian Cybele, the 
Ephesian Diana, and the Egyptian Isis. Again, in 
?he apparently whimsical spirit of mythology, these 
were all feigned to be virgins. Isis had the same 
place in the Egyptian Zodiac as Virgo in our's. But 
in the ancient Oriental Zodiacs the Virgin was 
represented as a Mother, The two following 
passages will not fail to strike the reader. In prima 
facie Virginis (translated from the Jewish astrologer 
Avenar) ascendit Virgo pulchra, longis capillis, et 
duas in manu spicas continet, sedetqiie supra 
sedem, et nutrit puerum adhuc parvulum, et lactat 
et cihat eum. The next passage is from Albuma- 
zar, an Arabian astrologer. Oritur in prima 
Virginis decano puella, Ambice dicta, Aderenosa, 
id est, virgo muiida, mrgo immaculata, corpore 
decora^ miltu venusta^ habit u modest a^ crine 
prolixo, manu duas aristas te7iens, supra solium 
aulceatum residens, puerum nutriens ac jure 
pascens, in loco, cui nomen Hebrcea, puerum dico a 
quibusdam nationibus nominatum lESVM, sigrii- 



278 



Jicantibus Issa (neinpe vel salvatorem") 
quern et Greece CHRISTVM dicunt. ' 

If then any allusion were intended to be made 
to the sign of Virgo, it could hardly be done in a 
clearer manner than by mentioning Amam^ " the 
mother," and Moladah, " the progeny," 



V. £7. 

Hazar Gaddah — Both words have been already 
explained, 

TlDt^rr, Heshmon. It is clear, that the letters in 
this name have been transposed, and probably for 
a mysterious purpose. In the Onomasticon, the 
word Heshmon is brought from TWO, unxit^ and 
even the English reader will easily see that this is 



^ In the Persian sphere, Virgo is equally represented a* 
nursing her son. 



279 



only a transposition of the radicals in Dti^rr. The 
Jews in fact pretend, that one Messiah, (rft^^D,) 
was to be born of the tribe of Judah, and another 
of the tribe of Ephraim. This Heshmon seems 
to indicate him, who was the anointed of Judah, 
and who, indeed, is called ben-Jehudah, Judah's 
son." Let us uiquire if there be any astronomical 
allusion here. Immediately on leaving the sign of 
Leo, the emblem of Judah, the Sun passes into the 
sign, where, as we have already seen, the ancient 
Persians, Arabians, and Syrians, depicted Virgo, 
with a male infant in her arms. Now^ I observe 
that the Arabians make J^U^ Mesaiel, the protect- 
ing Genius in the sign of Virgo. ' This Mesaiel 
seems a manifest corruption from ^h^-rT'^D Mesiah- 
"El, It is vain to talk of the shin being dageshed 
by the Masorites, of its being written with a ^ 
instead of in the Arabic, or of the aspirate 
being suppressed. We ourselves suppress the 
sound of the aspirate in Eve^ Messiah, and many 
other words. Besides, the Syrians certainl}'' often 



* See Kircher's (Edipus, VoL 3vp. 9Ar>. 



I 



280 



softened the harsh aspirate ; and the Arabians may 
have caught the sound from them. Mesai-El^ 
(^ajUa^) then appears to be a corruption for JW^yu*^, 
bK-n^t:^D Messiah' El—-'' the anointed of El,'' the 
male infant, who rises in the arms of Virgo, who 
was called JieJ^z^.y by the Hebrews^ that is ^OT^ '" the 
Saviour," and was hailed the anointed King, or 
the Messiah. 



V. 27. 

lO^S) m, Bith'Pakt. Mr. Hutchinson 
properly refers the word Palet to 1^'', and we are 
not to forget, that we have just had the derivative 
rHno Molidah. The mansion, or temple of Palet, 
clearly relates to a station of the Moon, but of 
the Moon worshipped as the Goddess of Parturi- 
tion, and known by various names, Ilythia, Juno 
Lucina, &c. ' I am inclined to think, that the 
Moon was particularly adored under the title of 



' See Selden de Dis Syris, and Bochart, Vol. 2. c. 291. 



281 



Paktj the deliverer," on the last night of the 
month. I remark, at least, that the Arabians call 
the last night of the month XxXi. ' 



V. 28. 



b^'il^ "liJn, Hazar-Shual. Literally, the hall of 
the fox, I can only offer conjectures on this 
singular name. I observe that the constellation of 
Bootes^ in which is the remarkable star Arcturus, 
so nearly placed to Virgo, is sometimes called 
Lycaon by the Greeks, and Lycaon is evidently 
derived from 7^()7iog, a xvolf and as the translators 
differ whether shual be a fox, or 2i jackal, the 
Greeks may have made it a wolf. The Hebrews 
called this constellation nilJJ^ l^D Caleb Anubach, 
" the barking dog," in evident allusion to latrator 
Anubis ; and the Egyptians (as appears from 
Kircher's planisphere) made Anubis the slayer of 
the wolf, which constellation we now combine with 



" See Golius, in voce; and consult Parkhurst, in voce loVs. 



'282 

that of Centaiirus. The Latins, * among other 
names, called Bootes Canis. Perhaps, then, the 
Foj: in the text was no other than Bootes, or the 
most luminous star in this constellation, commonly 
called Arclurus. This star is remarkable for its 
red and fiery appearance. Now I find that in 
Arabic shal, signifies to inflame^ to set on 
fire. The radicals here are the same as in ^"^W* 
Then I suspect, that Arcturus may have been so 
denoted. This is not all. Arcturus rises with 
Virgo, and with her ears of corn. The heat of 
the season is excessive, and the lightnings frequently 
burn and scorch the corn and the vines, while the 
Sun continues in the sign of Virgo. It would 
seem that there may be something in the stor^/ of 
Samson and his foxes connected with the observa- 
tions, which I have been making. Sapason, WDtt^, 
literally signifies the Sun. But I shall say more 
on this subject in another place. 

"l^n, Beer-Sheba. This is translated the 
well of the oath. Onom. That the words may 



' See the tables of Dupuis, 



bear this meaning is true ; but I ask the literal 
translator, whether it may not signify th^ zvell of 
seven? What if Z>eer, be a metaphorical 
word ? In its primitive sense * it signifies, when 
used as a verb, to elucidate, to give light, to render 
clear. V'^^ sheba, certainly may signify an oath.^ 
and as certainly it signifies seven, Beer-sheha 
may then either be rendered the well of the oath, 
or the lustre of seven. The seven may be the 
planets, or they may be the Pleiades^ or they may 
be the seven stars of the Wain, which the Orienta- 
lists, according to Hyde, still call the seven without 
any other distinctive appellation. 

nWD, Bizjothjah. The lexicographers make 
this word to signify contemtus Domini, This is- 
surely a strange name for a city. I find, that the 
Arabians call the constellation of Centaurus, the 
proximity of which to Virgo my reader must 
already be aware of, by a name, which, I think^ 
will bring us to the one in the text They call 
Centaurus in Chaldaic characters HD. * Now 



' See Stockius, in voce. 



' See Castelli. 



284 



rT'JlVD JBizjothJah, is clearly a compound word, of 
wliich the first part must be traced to HD, the 
ancient Arabic name of the constellation which we 
call Centaurus. We find the additional name of 
n'' Jah, whence the lacchus and Bacchus of the 
Gentiles. This may, perhaps, explain, why 
Centaurus (as in Bayer's forty-first table) is 
represented with a thyrsus, and a flagon of wine. 
I rather think, that this name comes out pretty 
clearly, as that of the constellation indicated. I 
request of my readers to remember, that I am the 
fiy^st, who has attempted to give these elucida- 
tions to the proper names contained in the ancient, 
and very mystical, book before us. Where they 
think I have failed, let them examine the subject 
with care, and new lights will appear, which can 
only help to guide them in the course which I have 
pointed out. If I meet with an opponent, who 
really understands the question, I think he will be 
puzzled with the mass of collective evidence, which 
I have brought together. No Orientalist will 
pretend to deny, that HD, the ancient Arabic name 
for Centaurus, forms the primary part of the word 
before us; and that the name of the God lao. 



285 



lacchus, Sec. came from lah, I believe, will be at 
least generally admitted. ' 

V. 29. 
Baalah, " the Moon." 

D**^^, Jim, This word may bear several mean- 
ings, piles, heaps, strong ones, &c. I suspect a 
false orthography. 

Dti^, Azem. See what I have said, in "voce 
Gaza, I understand Mendes. 



V. 30. 

b^rh'^, Eltolad, By our ^^m, I have under- 
stood Mendes, or the Sun in the sign of Capricorn, 



* See Plutarch. Sympos, L. 5. prob. 5. and Tacitus, L, 5, 



2S6 



for the final mem servile and intensitive, and the 
root is \^ Az, " a goat." Now the goat was adored 
by the Tsabaists as the symbol of Sol Generator, 
It would be idle to waste time in proving this. I 
shall, therefore, only add, that El-tolad signifies 
the Suriy or the God of geyieration. 

^DD, Chesil, is the Hebrew name for the constel- 
lation of Orion. Will it still be said, that there 
are no astronomical allusions in the text ? 



V. 31. 



^bpi{, Ziklag. The effusion of the fountain^ 
or stream,'' Onom, Does this mean the river of 
Aquarius ? In fact, Aratus calls this river effusio 
aquw. 

n^D'TD; Madmanah. In the Onomasticon this 
word is made to signify dung. But why not render 
it "a dimension of the portion, a measure of 
the allotment ?" Mad-manah, " a measure of the 
share given to the tribe of Judah," does not sound 



287 

so strangely to the ear, as a place called Diing^ 
in which the inhabitants were yet content to live. 
But I suspect, that nJD manah, is that same ancient 
word for the Moon, of which I have already 
spoken ; and that the word expresses a proportion 
or dimension of the Moon, or perhaps, of the 
month. ' 

n^D^D, Samanah. The branch of a palm- 
tree." Trees, in the most ancient dialects, appear 
to have received their names in allusion to the God, 
to whom they were sacred. Thus an oak seems 
to have been called Th)^ in honor of n^j»i, or ^k, 
under which names the Tsabaists worshipped the 
Sun as their principal God. The palm-tree was a 
well-known solar symbol, and might have been 
named after that Deity so anciently, and in so 
many tongues, called Son, San, Sonne, Sun, Zan, 
Zen, Zoan, &c. * 

y. 32. 

mcb, Lebaoth. " The lions". In the Egyptian 



^ See M. Court Gebelin, vol. 4. * Consult Bryant, vol, 1. 



2SS 



Calendar, which I beheve is chiefly taken from 
Avenar, I observe that there are three different 
lions introduced into the symbols of the sign of 
Leo. 

avbu^, Shilhim, may mean " messengers, swords, 
and branches, or shoots of trees." I suspect the 
orthography. 

Ain, has been already explained. 

X^tT\, Rimmon. " The exalted one." This was 
a Syrian Deity, and probably indicated the Sun in 
his highest exaltation, in the sign of Leo, in which 
the Summer solstice must have had place wheti 
this book was written. 



V. 33. 



The allusions seem now to be directed to the 
constellations at the Autumnal Equinox, w^hen the 
Sun descends to the lower hemisphere. The first 
place in the valley is named ^IKilti^K EshtaoL In 



the Onomastkon, and Rumelin's Lexicon, this 
word is said to be compounded of b'^W rrnti^K, and 
to signify dispono me in sepulcrum. The first 
word may be a noun with ^i formative prefixed. 
S^lti^ answers in signification to Hades. The mytho- 
logist has no need to be reminded of more. The 
descent of the Sun to the lower hemisphere is 
clearly typified. For the meaning of bWD consult 
Parkhurst. 

nj^lii, Zoreah, " the leprosy." This Zoreah 
was part of the portion of Dan, whose emblem 
was Scoi^pius, the accursed sign. Herodotus * 
remarks, " that he who has the leprosy, or white 
scab, among the citizens, neither enters the city, 
nor mingles with the other Persians ; for they say, 
he has it, for having committed an offence against 
the Sun/' Zoreah may also signify a wasp, or 
a hornet ; and perhaps it may have also denoted 
a scorpion. 

n:3t£^K, Ashnah, signifies darkness* * 



* See Castelli. 

T 



290 



mi Zanoah, seems to signify, something that 
repels," or perhaps it is Zan-och — the name of 
the Sun combined with the title och, for which see 
Bryant. ' 

niBJI, Tapuah — in the Onomasticon is properly 
rendered an apple. This, however, would be a 
strange name for a place, if there were no mystery. 
But Tapuah, or " the apple," was a symbol of one of 
the Deities of the Tsabaists, who had a temple 
erected to Tapuah, called Bith Tapuah. This 
Tapuah then was an astronomical symbol; for 
the Tsabaists had no other Gods than the Hosts 
of Heaven. Now observe, that Coluber, the 
adder, placed on the back of Scorpius, and the 
emblem of Dan, was called Eve by the ancient 
Persians, as Chardin attests ; and let it be remem- 
bered, that a dragon guarded the apples in the 
gardens of the Hesperides, in the astronomical fable 
of Hercules. Tapuah was then probably the symbol 
of Eve's apple; and when it is considered that 
this fruit ripens about the time, when the Sun 



' Vol. K 

/ 



291 



enters Scorpiiis, and verges on the serpent, as he 
descends to the lower hemisphere, the region of 
Typhon, or of Ahriman, the principle of evil, we 
may, perhaps, combine enough of circumstances 
to understand, why Tapuah has been connected 
with the religion of the Tsabaists. 

I passed over the preceding word, En-gannim, 
because I thought this would be a more proper 
place for its explanation. The 12th labor of 
Hercules, or the fiction concerning the gardens of 
the Hesperides, relates to the passage of the Sun 
into the sign of Cancer. But this same story is 
not unconnected with that of Hercules ingeniculuSj 
or Serpentarius, which constellation, according to 
Theon, sets as Cancer rises. Now in the same 
position, where we find Tapuah, the Apple, we 
also meet with En-gannim, " the fountain of the 
gardens." It will be remembered that Hercules 
passed the river Evenus, or Even, after he had 
obtained the golden apples, and it was there that 
he slew the Centaur Nessus. This Even, as Court 
Gebelin observes, is literally " the water of the 
Sun." Now it appears, that Hercules ingenkulus 



292 



and Centaurus set about the time, when the river, or 
fountain, of Aquarius rises. The next word Enam 
means likewise " a fountain.'* 

V.3o. 

Jarmuth, altitude." Onom. 

XlblV^ Adullam. Even Rumelinus authorises mc 
to find the sense of this word in the Arabic ^jsxc^, 
which signifies the Equinox, 

xyyw^ Socoh. In its general sense this word 
seems to signify a thorn, or pointed branch. It 
occurs under this form but twice in Hebrew, as far 
as I know ; and consequently I think it may have 
occasionally been used in senses, which are now lost. 
We must remember, that genuine Hebrew has 
never been spoken since the captivity, and that all 
our knowledge of the language is derived from a 
single volume. Many senses of words have conse- 
quently been lost ; and it is only occasionally, that 
they can be recovered by a reference to the cognate 
dialects. A thorn would be a strange name of a 



293 



place. But if I have succeeded in showing, that 
the names from verse 33. relate to the constellations 
connected with the descent of the Sun to the lower 
hemisphere, at the Autumnal Equinox, we shall 
easily find a solution of the word before us. x^yi 
in Arabic signifies a scorpions sting. The star in 
Scorpius so called is of about the fourth magnitude. 
By consulting Castelli and Golius, the reader will 
find that, in spite of the diacritical points, which 
are placed over the j$, and which give it the sound 
of a tauj the Hebrew and Arabic words are the 
same. 

npti?, Azekah. This word seems to mean any 
thing that surrounds, fences, or hedges in.'' Could 
this name have been given to the circle of stars, 
which we call Corona Australis? 

V. 36. 

DH^t:^, Sharaim. These were idols in the form 
of satyrs worshipped by the Tsabaists. ' Bochart * 



' See Parkburst, in voce. 



^ Hieroz. p. 641. 



294 



has brought together much curious learning on the 
subject. It would appear, that these Sharaim 
were considered as Demons, and since they were 
made objects of worship at all, it is not surprising, 
that honors should be rendered to them when the 
Sun descended to the lower hemisphere. OTsV^ 
may also signify gates, but I scarcely think that 
this is the meaning here. 

DWIV, Adithaim, literally signifies ornammts. ' 
But there probably is some latent meaning, which 
is now lost to us ; and from the Arabic I am 
led to think, that Adithaim may have meant sepul- 
cral stones, nor would this be incongruous, if we 
were to drop the jod, and read DWi^, the testimQ- 
nies, or monu7nentjf, 

Gederah, and a^nii:i, Gederothaim. These 
words are expressive of inclosed places. Can 



* See Rumelinus. 



295 



there be any allusion here to the place of inter- 
ment of Apis, which took place always at the season 
of the year, when the Sun descended to the lower 
hemisphere ? This sepulcral spot was in a temple 
near to Memphis, and none might pass the sacred 
precincts, but at the time when the symbol of the 
departed Sun was there interred. Were there not 
so many astronomical and mythological allusions 
already so clearly made out, I should not have 
offered these merely conjectural suggestions on the 
words before us. Perhaps, the constellation which 
we call the Altar, and which is close to Scorpius^ 
may have been indicated. 



V. 37. 

Zenan, may signify either a shield^ or a 
sting. ' Is the allusion here to the sting of Scor- 
plus ? 



' See Buxtorf, in voce. 



^96 



It is possible, that Zenan may be no other than 
Zan, or Zoan, with an intensitive. 

ntinn, Hadasha, This word signifies the new 
Moon. 

1:1 Migdal-Gad, the tower of Gad." 

The asterisni of Gad has been already mentioned. 
Ten stars in the sign of Capricorn are known by 
this name to the Orientalists. 



V. 58. 

\)!h\ Dilean. I find that this word signifies 
a gourd, or a cucumber, in Chaldaic. It would be 
an odd name to give to a city ; but I observe, that 
the urn of Aquarius is variously called Deli, Dalu, 
Delo, Delu, in Hebrew, Syriac, and Arabic; and 
I suspect, that the word was originally written 
Delu^ which with the intensitive would be Delun. 
It is to be observed that the Syriac waw and the 
Phoenician oin had nearly the same open sound. 



297 



A stranger, therefore^ who wrote from his ear, 
might easily convert ]')b'l into ]^b'l. This might 
the more readily happen, that the great urn, which 
in the other dialects would have been called deluUf 
would have been vbl delin in Hebrew. 

Mizpeh, " The place of observation/* I 
rather think, that allusion is made to the time of a 
solstice, when this word is introduced. The place 
of observation, or observatory, is placed by Joktheel, 
the aggregate of El, or of the Sun. By this, I 
suppose, was meant the aggregate time of his 
passing from one solstice to another. 



V. 39. 

Lachish. I have already observed that this 
word is not to be easily explained. Rumelinus 
makes it signify musk ; but I must still render it 
Jlame, though this may not be the sense. 

rip^tl, Bozkath, This word seems to signify 
fermentation. But I believe it chiefly refers to 



298 



farinaceous fermentation. The produce of the 
harvests seems to be indicated, and consequently 
the season of the year : for after the mention of 
this word, we find several relating to agriculture and 
its effects.. 

Eglon may mean a circle, as w e have already 
seen ; but it also signifies a rvoggon, and an ox\ 

Kabbon and Kitlish are two words to which 1 
will not venture to affix a sense ; because the first 
seems capable of bearing various meanings ; and 
because I am unable to trace the second to its root. 
Lahmam signifies bixad. But Lahmam, or Lehtm, 
was a Deity of the Tsabaists, whose temple is 
mentioned several times in scripture. Lehem was 
probably the same with Ceres. I know not why 
Gederoth is introduced, unless it indicates sheep- 
folds, a sense w^hich, I believe^ it will bear. Bith* 
Dagon, in this place, deserves particular notice. A 
Deity of the name of Dagon w^as worshipped under 
the form of a monster, which had the head and 
arms of a man, and the tail of a fish. This 
appears to have been the symbol of the Sun in 
Pisces ; and was considered as the principle of 



fecundity. Hence dagon seems to have been 
employed to signify the corn and fruits of the 
earth." It is perhaps in this sense that we ought 
to understand the word here. Naamah means " the 
amenity of the country." But this was also a 
Deity of the Tsabaists. Buxtorf, in his Chaldaic 
lexicon, states her to have been the same with 
Cybele, or Rhea, the Mater Deorum. Makkedah 
has been already explained. Libnah is the rising 
Moon, Ether means abundance, fertility, &c. 
Ashan is a Chaldaic word signifyingyrw^Y. Jiph- 
tah ; this is the word nJlSJ, which we have had 
before with a jod appellative, and it apparently 
signifies the universal principle of fire, or heat," 
of which Phtha was the symbol. Ashnah signi- 
fies mutation ; and Nezib, on the contrary, what 
is stationary." 

Of the remaining words in this chapter, which 
serve as proper names, I have already explained 
all to which I can affix any meaning. 

My reader ought not to forget, that Judah, or 
the Sun in Leo, was the leader in the camp. This 
was according to the Egyptian Calendar, In the 



300 



above account we are to consider, not only the 
decans in the sign of Leo^ but its paranatellons, 
and likewise the course of the Sun through the 
Zodiac, as commencing at the Summer solstice. 
With very Httle trouble, the reader will find, by the 
help of the celestial globe, how well, as far as we 
can trace them, the symbols here given answer to 
the movements of the celestial bodies, to the revo- 
lutions of the seasons, and to the agricultural 
pursuits connected with them. 

We are now to look at the allotments of Ephraim, 
whose emblem was the Bull, and of the half tribe 
of Manasseh that took the share of Levi, partly 
appertaining to Pisces ^ and partly to Aries, 



C 16. 



The first name, which has not been already 
explained, is T\vb Luz, This medius obliquiti/ ; and 
the equinoctial point being then in Aries, the obli- 
quity of the ecliptic is the first thing which is 
pKoperly noticed. 



30J 



'^y^i^i Archi, " the longitudes"— the degrees of 
longitude. The lot passeth along unto the boun- 
daries of the degrees of longitude unto Ataroth, 
Now Ataroth, the Crowns, I conceive to be the 
stars of At avail, the Crown, by which name Coro- 
na Borealis is still known to the Hebrews. When 
Taurus rises^ the Croivn sets. It is, therefore, 
true, that the degrees of longitude render it neces- 
sary, that the Croxvn and Taurus are always oppo- 
site, and that when the one rises in the east, the 
other sets in the west. Can any thing be clearer, 
than that this is an astronomical allotment ? Let 
not my reader, then, be occasionally discouraged, 
because I cannot always so clearly explain the 
meaning of symbols, in use three or four thousand 
years ago, in a language, which has ceased to be a 
living one for more than half of that period, and 
in which only one book has been written. 

^^D'?^^ JaphleH. Strike off the two servile jods, 
and you will get Palet, a title of the Moon of 
which I have already spoken. 



302 



V. 3. 

Bith'Hoi^on^ the nether, the lower station 
of Hor, or of the Sun in Taurus.'" 

Gezer, The segment of the circle." 
V. 5. 

Ataroth Adar. This seems to signify " the 
crowns of splendor." But I take Adar to have 
been a Deity of the Tsabaists. Ataroth can be 
nothing else than the constellation Corona Boj^ealis; 
and if my reader will turn to Dupuis, ' he will 
scarcely fail to see the propriety of the name here 
given. In fact, the Arabians still call Virgo by the 
name of Adra^ or Adar a, as Hyde attests. The 
crown is the crown of the Virgin ; and seems to 
have obtained this appellation from its rising 
immediately after Virgo. 

« Vol. 5. 



303 



V. 6. 

JIDDDDn. Our translators make this word sound 
Michmethah. This is of little consequence ; but 
when the lexicographers translate desiderium, I 
find myself obliged to seek for the root in n?D3. 
Now I find this to be the same word with HD^'D 
chimah, for the jod is surely no radical ; and j^r<9f, 
instead of desiderium^ I would translate genial 
heat and secondly, I would observe, that HDO 
Chima is the name given to the Pleiades in the 
Book of Job. I suspect then, that our word must 
bear some relation to those stars ; but let my reader 
judge for himself. 

n^t^fn^KJn, Taanath-Shiloh. The lexicographers 
seem puzzled with the word ny^r\. It is clearly 
derived from nj>^. Shiloh I must still consider as 
the star in Scorpius so often mentioned. I trans- 
late near to Shiloh, and as Taanath is translated 
prope in the Onomasticon, I am not quite without 



304 



authority. Now it is true that Scorpius and 
Taurus are so placed, that when the latter descends 
to the Western horizon, the former rises in the 
East. Thus the boundary of Ephraim, whose 
emblem was Taurus, went Eastward to the neigh- 
bourhood of Shiloh, 

And passed by it on the east to Janohah'' 

nmy, Janohah, The serviles being thrown away, 
this word resolves itself into TV\1 noch, quies. This 
was the name of the Patriarch, whom we impro- 
perly call Noah, instead of Noch, or Nuch, I 
agree with Court Gebehn^ in thinking, that the 
words vh^, noi\ nuit, night, &c. came originally 
from this Hebrew word. In fact, it w ill be found, 
that the Gentiles confounded Noah with Dionysus, 
Saturn, Janus, and other types of the Sun in the 
lower hemisphere. Noch indicates repose, 
connected with night and darkness ; and the lower 
hemisphere is feigned by the mythologists to be the 
region of silence and night, — of darkness and rest. 
By the word Janohah then, I understand th« 
symbol of the lower hemisphere. 



305 



V. 7. 

Atarothj " Corona Borealis,'' 

T\rw^, Naarath. Tuellar I conclude that 
Virgo is here indicated. 

The remaining names have been already 
explained. 

C. 17. 

The first proper name, which has not been 
explained, is Abiezer ; but as it is compounded of 
AM, " a father," a common title of the Sun, and "iTi^ 
ezer, already explained, it can occasion no difficulty. 



V. 2. 

p^n, Helek, may be translated an astronomical 
portion." This seems, at least, to be a common 
sense in which the word is understood in Chaldaic. 

u 



306 



^K'''^tit>^, AsrieL This word seems capable of 
admitting several meanings — " the blessings of El 
(the Sun); — the steps, or progress, of El; — the 
groves of EV But consult Buxtorf ' 

DDti^, Shechem signifies the dawn. 

nsn, Hepher, Rumelinus makes this name 
signify opprobrium ; but who would take such a 
name, or what' parent would give it to his child ? 
13n in Chaldaic signifies to redden, and meta- 
phorically to blush; hence, it would seem, the 
word came to import shame, &c. I understand 
the word before us to allude to the redness of the 
evening sky, opposed to shechem, " the dawn." 

yy^'tW, Shemida, I cannot conceive on what 
principle this name is translated agnovit Deus in 
the Onomasticon. It means literally the name of 
Science, I admit, that this seems a very strange 
name ; but it had a Cabbalistical meaning, which 



' In voce, nu^«. 



307 



I am unable to explain. ' Manasseh had allotted 
to half his tribe a portion of the Amorite^ that is, 
of Aries; and as the astronomers by their science 
had been enabled to reform the year, and to fix its 
opening at the true time of the vernal equinox, 
which had passed from Taurus to Aries, there 
may be some allusion to this in the name before us. 



V. 3. 

irrS^jr, Zelophehad—litersiWy the shadow of fear, 
I imagine some allusion is made to the night. This 
Zelophehad has several daughters, all of whom we 
shall find to have been symbols of the Moon, or 
of her wanderings. 

nbnD, Mahlali, This was one of the four names, 
given to the four mothers of the devils by the 



* See Buxtorf s Chaldaic Lexicon, p. 937» 



308 



Jews. ' It comes from n^n, and signifies disease. 
This name is associated with that of Lilith^ Ilythia^ 
the same with the Juno Lucina of the Latins. * 
There can be no doubt, therefore, that Mahlah^ or 
Malhat, as the Rabbins write it, was a lunar 
symbol, but of bad omen. 

ni;j, Noah. I translate this word motus with 
Rumelinus. But there w^ere ^rh'^^ " Gods of 
the motion." ^ In fact, the sistrum in the rites of 
Cybele and Isis was called Menana ^^I^^D, 
evidently from this w ord Nah, or Noah. But I 
observe that the three words Nah, Hoglah, 
Milchah, which are divided as three proper names 
in the translations, seem connected with each other 
in the original, the particle "vau not being employed 
to separate them. It would appear, however, 
that the first word 7iah means the motion of the 
sistrum^ which we know was a symbol of the 
Goddess of the Night. My reader cannot have 



* See Elias Levita. 
* See Kircher's (Edipus, vol. 1. p. 321. ^ 2nd Kings, 18. 34. 



309 



any need of explaining to liim the form of the 
sistrion, or the nature of the rites practised in 
honor of the Moon by the Priests of Isis, sistra- 
iaque turba. 

The next word n'pjin Hoglah, has direct allusion 
to those rites. n^:irT is composed, as Mr. Hutchin- 
son observes, of rT^:i-n:3il. Now this is literally 
a description of the circular dance of the worship- 
pers of the Moon when they celebrated her orgies 
with sistrums, drums, cymbals, &c. It signifies 
*^ tripping the circle, or the circular dance." 

HD'PD, the Qtieoi. That Milcak, the Queen," 
was a title of the Moon, must be known to every one 
who has read the Bible. It is evident, then, that 
the three words before us signify " the motion of 
the circular dance of Milcah,'' under which name 
the Moon was adored by the Tsabaists. The allu- 
sion in the text, to her erratic course, is as clear as 
it was in the practice of the mysteries, which were 
celebrated in her honor. 



tlTyn, Tirzah. After the mention of Malhah 
and Milcah, two lunar titles, or symbols, we can 



310 



scarcely suppose that Tirzah was a real personage. 
This name indicates desire, or concupiscence ; and 
was probably a name given to the idol of the Moon. 
Solomon says to his beloved, ' thou art beautiful 
as Tirzah f and shortly after he adds, thou art 
fair as the Moon." We have seen, that the name of 
Jerusalem served for a solar type, and Tirzah, I 
believe to have been a lunar synjbol. For a list 
of names given to the Moon, as Venus, Juno, &c. 
consult Apuleius. * 

V. 4. 

Eleazer, This word is compounded of El, 
*^ the Sun," and 'itiT, which last word seems to signify 
the same thing with niTir, ^' the court of the temple." 
Now the temple (I must still repeat it) was a type 
of the universe. 

V. 8. 

Tappuah — already explained. 



' Cant. 6. 4. ^ Metamorph, L. 2. 



311 



V.9. 

n:p, Kanah. I believe I have neglected to 
explain this word, v/here it occurs before. It 
means a reed^ a cane, a measuring rod. In the 
ancient Zodiacs, the sign of Libra was repre- 
sented by a man holding a measuring rod. * Libra, 
the emblem of Asker, is the opposite sign to Aries, 
a part of which was portioned unto the half tribe 
of Manasseh. But mention is here made of the 
river Ka?iah. The nahal, translated sometimes a 
river," sometimes " a valley," as caprice directs, is 
the ancient name of the Nile; and the celestial river, 
or constellation, which we call Eridanus, is termed 
nahal in the astronomical tables of the Egyptians 
who, lest there should be a mistake, term it Nahal 
Mi.zraim. Now Nahal, the Eridanus, is suffi- 
ciently near to Taurus and Aries ; and it is called 



* See Kircher's planisphere; Rumelinus in voce, nJp; and 
Castelli in voce, \},'^- 



1512 

the river of the measuring rod, for a reason which 
appears obvious. The measuring rod was placed 
in the hand of Serapis Niloticus, ' and this symbol 
was properly referred to the balance, because it was 
when the Sun was in this sign, that the river began 
to decrease. Consequently, it was when the balance 
came to the Meridian at midnight in the Spring, 
that the river commenced its annual augmenta- 
tion. This seems to be the reason, why it is called 
nahal kanah, ^' the river of the measuring rod." 



V. ia 

Issachar and Asher, Their emblems were 
Cancer and Libra. 

V. IL 

Biih-shean and her towns, Shean is the same 
with Shan, already explained. The lexicographers, 



* See Kircher and Jablonski. 



313 



however, will have it to be different, and translate, 
the house of tranquillity." 

Iblecm is derived from ^^i, already explained. 

Dor, already explained. 

Taanachy already explained. 

Megiddo, already explained. The remaining 
proper names in this chapter have been likewise 
explained. 



C. 18. 

Shiloh—dL star in Scorpius. 

V. 11. 

Boyamin, His emblem was the Tzvins. 

The proper names have all been explained down 
to verse £1, 



314 



Y^)ip, Keziz, This is the same in signification 

with niip, by which the Chaldeans understood 

either tropic. I rather suppose, that of Cancel^ is 
here meant 



Bith^Arabah — already explained. 

D'^'nDiJ; Zemaraim, " The highest branches of 
a tree." 



V. 23. 

D^iy, A%)im. This word seems to signify cuwes, 
obliquities, &c. I observe that in Arabic L^c is 
the name of a station of the Moon in Virgo. ' 



* See Golius, in voce. 



315 



m3, Parak, " a heifer." This was possibly an 
emblem of Isis, or the Moon. 

tTW, Ophrah, Rumelin pretends that this 
signifies dust. This would be a strange name to 
give to a city. In Micah * we find the following 
words — " in the house of Aphrah (or Ophrah) 
roll thyself in the dust." It is clear then, that 
there was an idol named Ophrah ; but who was 
this dusty Divinity ? I confess myself unable to 
solve the question ; but I am inclined to think that 
the worship of this Deity was connected with that 
of Thammuz. 



V. 24. 

UID^n ")3D, Chephar-haamonai. " The village 
of the Ammonites." The Egyptians worshipped 
the Sun in Aries under the name of Ammon, Is 
193 Capar" (for so it may be expressed in Roman 



' C. 1, V. 10. 



316 



letters,) connected witli the Arabic Cahm\ a title 
given to Venus or the ]\Ioon ? 

Ophni. I cannot trace this word to the Hebrew, 
unless, by a transposition of the letters, we bring 
it from 5]0^, a branch. Is any allusion made to the 
branch of the palm-tree in the sign of Virgo ? ' 

Gaba, the concave — already explained. 

Giheon is the same word with an intensitive. 

Ra7?iah, HD'^n. The hig h place — the sky. 

Beeroth, literally the Wells. This word has 
occurred several times ; but I had not remarked 
before, that the Arabians call certain stars in Erida- 
nus, the fVells, * 



* See the Zodiacs of Dendera. 
" See Hyde's Commeataries on Ulug Beig. p. 48 and 49- 



317 



V. 26. 

Mizpeh, already explained. 

n'T'SD, Chepkirah — a lion." 

m'Oy Mozah, I know not the meaning. 



V. 27, 

Dp"!, i?eA:e?7z— -signifies embroidery in Hebrew. 
This could hardly have been the name of a place. 
I cannot explain it. 

^XST, Irpeel. E,umelin translates this name 
remittat Deus. This is an odd name for a place, 
I would rather translate remittat Sol, not only 
because El, when found in heathen names, gene- 
rally signifies the Sun, but because I think an 
astronomical allusion suits with the rest. 



318 



n^Kin, Taralah, Rumelin makes this word 
signify makdictio dirissima. But who would call 
a city by such a name ? I imagine, that this is a 
corruption from the Chaldaic n'^K-nin — Taurus 
Dei, or Taurus Solis. 



V. 28. 

Zelah, This word signifies a rib, or it 
signifies limping. Either of these would be a 
singular appellation of a city. But the Sun w^as 
represented under the form of a limping boy by 
the Egyptians. This singular symbol was named 
by them GP— ^UIl)— POXT. ' 

f^^, Eleph signifies dui\ also bos, ^ also dui' 
armtnti. The Bull in ancient times had been the 
leader of the zodiacal animals. His place was 
afterwards occupied by Arits^ called by the Latins 
dux gregis. 



■ See Jablonski, in Harpocrate, 



* See Buxtorf, in voce. 



319 



C. 19. 



- Tho lot of Simeon was part of Pisces, We must 
always recollect the constellations, which rise or set 
while the Sun is in any of the signs, in order to 
follow the author. In describing the lot of Judah, 
the annual circuit of the Sun seemed to be pointed 
out. In the other lots, the description is chiefly 
confined to the paranatellons of the sign, which is 
the emblem of the tribe. I shall pass over the 
names already explained. 



V. 4. 

Bethuly for rhsrsX Bethulah, the name 
which the Hebrews gave to the sign of Virgo, 
When the Sun is in Pisces, the sign Bethulah 
comes to the meridian at midnight. 



320 



V. 5. 

Bith'Marcabofh — the house or temple of the 
Chariots, or Charioteers/' It seems that the 
constellation Auriga is still called Mar cab, " the 
Charioteer," by the Arabians. ' 

HDID "ll^n, Hazar Susah, " the hall of the 
cavalry:" apparently the constellations Pegasus 
and Equiculus are indicated. 

D'^l, Bith'Lehaoth. " The house of the 
Lions." Simeon had a share of the portion of 
Judah. In fact, Leo passes the meridian about 
twelve at night, when the Sun enters Pisces, 

V. 10. 

We are now to consider the lot of Zebulon, 
whose emblem was the ship Argo, and whose sign 
was Capricorn. 



* See Castelli. 



321 



T"^^, Sand. In Hebrew signifies superstes. 
But I am inclined to think, that it may have meant 
a sardonyx here. ' The Sardonyx was one of the 
twelve stones in the breastplate of the priests ; and 
these twelve stones represented, according to 
Clemens Alexandrinus, the twelve si^ns of the 
Zodiac. * Kircher has shown that the Sardonyx 
was the precious stone on which was engraved the 
name of Reuben, whose emblem was Aquarius. ^ 
The possession of Zebulon, ( Capricorn ) was 
therefore contiguous to that of Reuben, ( Aquainus ) 
denoted by Sarid, a sardonyx. 



V. 11. 

The sea ; employed as a symbol ; this word has 
been already explained. 

n^)^")D, Maralah, Rumelin translates this name 
quce tr enter e facit. This seems to be a strange 
name to give a place. 



' Consult Castelli. * Strom. L. 5. ^ CEdip. vol.2. 

X 



322 



TWyi, Dabasheth, the lump on a camel's back," 
Onom^ 

Di^JpS Joknmm. Rumelin translates, compara- 
hitur populus, "vel nidulans f actus est populus. I 
think it better to avow, that I am ignorant of the 
meaning. 



Y. 1% 



Some of the preceding words I have been unable 
to explain, and have, therefore^ resigned them to 
the lexicographers, who have been pleased to think, 
that there were really cities called — She who makes 
tremble, — The lump on a cawxTs back, — Nidulans 
f actus est populus, &c. The name of Chisloth- 
iabor recals us so clearly to astronomy, that I have 
no doubt, that the former names related to it, 
though we are now ignorant of their signification. 
Chisloth'Tabor is clearly an exotic name; and I 
cannot question, that nan rshv'^ has the same sense 
with "izin ''^''DD. The allusion must then be to 
the month Cisleu, and to the stars of Orion, But 



523 



■)2J1 Tabor is a proper name, to which I can affix 
no sense. Could it have been originally written 
? Certainly ")n:)n ^''DD is a name by which 
we should immediately recognise the constellation 
of Orion, I observe that the LXX omit Tabor. 

jn"11"7, Daberath. Dabar^ or Dobar^ was an 
ancient oriental name for the Planet Mercury. * 
In fact^Lj^ Debar is the Arabic for " Wednesday/' 
dies Merciirii. But I rather imagine that Dabe- 
rath, or Debar ath, must have been an ancient 
name for the Hyades, of which the brilliant is 
called Al'Dtbaran, 

Japhia, " splendor"-- -already explained- 



V. VS. 

Gittah, or Gath-hepher has been explained. 



* See Pococke on Abulfeda, and Golius on Alfragan. 



324 



V^p nn^r, Ittah'Kazin in Chaldaic signifies the 
curxie of the tropics r ' 

*1KnDrT ll/D*!, Remmon-methoar. Rejmnon signi- 
fies the high place, or, as I understand it, the 
starry heavens. Remmon-methoar is translated 
by Rumelin civitas circulo dejinita. I, therefore, 
translate the high place, or the heavens, encom- 
passed by a circle." The Zodiac was probably 
meant. 

To Neah. I rather think it should be of Neah. 
This word implies motion." Remmon-methoar- 
neah, seems to mean the moving sphere of the 
heavens." 



V. 14. 

l/>Jn, Hanathon, " the camp" — probably the 
camp of the celestial army, or hosts of heaven. 



' See Castelli. 



325 



Jiphtah-El — already explained, the fire of 
the Sun/' 



V. 1.5. 

JlZOp, Katath. Ramelin makes this word signify 
parva, humilis, &c. but he is certainly mistaken, 
since ntDp cannot come from pp. I imagine this 
word has a similar signification with to''p in Chaldaic, 
and with LaK in Arabic ; and by which word the 
season of the year, from the rising of the Pleiades 
to the rising of Campus, was denoted. ' 

bbr\2, Nahallal. Rumelinus translates duct us, 
and brings the name from I pretend, that 

the second b is radical, and that the ^ is servile 
and appellative. Now I observe that the Arabians 
call the Moon jjL^, and the ancient Hebrews de- 
nominated the Morning star ^^^n Hilel. The 
root then being ^Sl, I am led to think, that bbr}^ 



' See Castelli and Golius. 



326 



has the same meaning with bbT^. In the first, the 
prefixed i is appellative, and in the second the 
inserted is merely formative. I translate 7iahalai, 
Lucifer, the morning star." 

Shimron has been already explained. 

n^lT, Idalah. Rumelin makes this word signify 
a place of execration. But why should men be 
supposed to give such names to their places of 
abode ; and surely the name does not authorise 
this translation. As the word is written I can 
give no meaning to it; but the readers of Bochart 
will allow me to say, that in the cognate dialects 
thejo^/ and akph often changed places. Indeed 
this happens very frequently in the Hebrew itself 
Now I find that n^KlJ* comes very near to the 
Syrian Pzl Adal^ or Adala, which is the name 
of the Wain, or Great Bear,^ 

Bitk'kkem, already explained. 



' See Castelli. 



S27 



We now come to the lot of Issachar, whose 
emblem was Cancer, or Hermaniibis. 

V. 18. 

iDyw, Shunem, or Sunem. This seems to have 
been a solar title. ' It is strange to find the lexico- 
graphers perverting the meaning of words, which 
either are not Hebrew, or can only now be found 
among the proper names. Sunem is probably the 
same in sense with San^ S072, Sun, Zan, Zoan^ Sec. 
and then comes a lexicographer, who tells us, that 
Sunem was the name of a city, signifying pinguedo, 

Chesulloth —-'^ Constellation of Orion," already 
explained. 



V. 19. 

Haphraim — from nsn, already explained. 



* See Bryant, vol, 1. 



328 



pW, Shihon. Why is the aleph aspirated? 
This word is composed of "♦li^, a gift, and ys^, a 
solar title, of which I have frequently spoken. It 
would then signify Munus Solis ; but it is very 
probable, that the word was originally of the same 
class with San, Son, Sec. mentioned above. 
Rumelin makes Shihon signify "vastatio. This 
would be a strange name to give to a city. 

ilimj^, Anaharath. The lexicographers make 
this word signify groaning, or snoring^. The latter 
is in fact the sense, if the word come from *ini, 
according to their derivation. But who ever heard 
of a city named snoring ? The meaning of Anaha- 
rath seems to me extremely obvious. It is 
composed of the solar title, and mn, from mn, 
arsit. 



V. 20. 

Rahhith. Magna, multa^ Onom. But 
I rather imagine, that the word implies augmenta- 
tion here, I translate increment ; and I believe 



329 



the name was formed in allusion to the season of 
the year, when the Nile augments. This takes 
place when the Sun is in C^z;2cer, the emblem of 
Issachar. 

IWp, Kishion. Rumelin translates durities. Of 
course he derives the word from TWp. I cannot 
help suspecting, that there is some error of ortho- 
graphy here. In all events I would rather refer 
the word to nti^p, a kind of vessel in the form of 
a patera, which seems to have been employed as 
a measure for liquids. Whether, or not, the word 
before us, which I understand to signify a great 
measuring vessel, could indicate the Nilometer, I 
must leave others to determine. I find the follow- 
ing passage in Suidas at the word Sarapis. Tourou 
01 [xsu AloL s<paG-av shoti, ol §1 rou NslXou, ^la to 
[jLO^iou s^siu £V rrj xsipaTijl, xa) rou Trrj^ov, rjyovu to 
Tou ti^arog [xirpov. Some say that he (Sarapis) 
is Jupiter, others the Nile, on account of the 
modius on his head, and the cubit, or measure of 
the water." But I am apt to suspect, that Serapis 
was also represented wdth a measuring vessel, or 
patera, similar to that which I take to be meant by 
Kishion. Certainly in the procession of Egyptian 



330 

priests, one is thus described by Clemens—' jE^s/ra 
6 (TToTiia-rrjg To7g wposiprjiJiiuoig iVsra*, £;^tt)V rou rs rrlg 
hixaio<ruvr}g Trrj^vVy kol) to cnravhsm, Then the 
(rroXia-rrig follows the above-mentioned, holding the 
cubit of justice, and the cup of libation."' 
Apuleius describes a priest in the pomp, who 
carried indicium cEquitatis in one hand, and a 
golden vase in the other, whence he poured forth 
libations. Abenephius, quoted by Kircher, says 
that the Egyptians adored the idol of Canobus 
under the form of a vase ; and Canobus was a type 
of the Nile. 

It seems extremely probable, that Wp is here 
written for W^p. This was actually the name of 
a river, and may have been also one of the many 
appellations given to the Nile. 

yiK, Abez may signify either increment, or the 
reverse. ^ I cannot help thinking, that all these 
names allude to the state of the Nile, when the 
Sun was in Cancer the emblem of Issachar. 



* Strom. L. vi. p. 456« in my edition. * See Rumelin, in voce. 



SSI 



V. 21. 

jnD*l, Remethy " altitude." Onom, Does this 
allude to the Nile's coming to its height? 

En-gannim, " The fountain of Gardens." 

En-haddak. " The fountain of joy." Onom. 

yi:3 JT';3, Bith-Pazzez. I know not the mean- 
ing. Rumelin translates domus dispergentis ; but 
this does not appear authorised. 



Tabor^ already explained. 



nDWti^, Shahazimah. LeontopoUs. Onom. This 
was the boundary of Issachar, and in fact Leo is 
contiguous with Cancer. 



332 



Bith'ShemesL " The house of the Sun." Leo 
is the domicile of SoL 



V. 24. 

The uext lot is that of Asher, whose emblem 
was Libra, 



V. 25. 

jnp'?n, Halkath, See Helek^ already explained. 

">^n, Rumelin translates But this 

ornament was a necklace. " Now it seems strancre 
to call a town, a necklace. There must be a mean- 
ing which is now lost. R. S. larchi says that 'hn 
hali is originally an Arabic word. This of course 
is ^sh^, and I think it may have anciently signified 
some kind of fruit — perhaps dates, * The season 



* See Biixtorf. 



* See Castelli, p. 1249, 



333 



of the year, and the labors incident to it, namely 
the gathering of fruits, may be indicated by the 
names before us. 

Beten, has two significations— belli/, and 
a nut. We have seen that the belly of Aries 
received this name ; but I rather think here, that 
the nut is indicated. In fact nuts are generally 
gathered, when the Sun is in Libra, as well as 
other fruits. 

Achshaph. In Hebrew this word signi- 
fies a necromancer, or an astrologer ; but in Chal- 
daic it also signifies a prune, * 

V. 25. 

T^D*?K, Alamelech. This is so evidently a solar 
title, that it is not requisite to say more of it. 

Amad and Misheal are two names about which 
I might say much; but as their meaning is not 



' See Buxtorf s Chaldaic Lexicon, in voce 



334 



obvious, I pass them over, only observing, that 
Rumelin does not, as far as I can find, explain the 
first, and that his etymology of the latter is to me 
unintelligible. He explains Carmel as a country 
fit for sowing and planting ; but telD is plainly a 
contraction for ^K— D*^D, the vine of El, or of 
the Sun." ni'yh nin^li/ Shihor-Libnath — Libnath 
is only another feminine form of Libnah. The 
name must, therefore, mean the dark part of the 
Moon, or perhaps the crepusculum, which 
precedes her rising. 



V. 27. 

pDi^n JT*!, Bith-Emek is the first proper name 
in this verse, which has not been explained. It is 
evident that the constellations seen, while the Sun 
is in Libra, are now pointed out. Emek is gene- 
rally rendered a valley ; but the house of the 
valley seems to indicate the lower hemisphere. 

Neiel. Rumelin translates germinare 
faciei Deus, I must always repeat, that El in 



\ 



335 



heathen names signifies the Sun. I understand 
Neiel to signify the germinating Sun. 

^113, Cabul, Biixtorf translates this compes ; 
and R. Solomon says that the country was so 
called because the soil was argillaceous, and people's 
feet are apt to stick in clay. This is absolute 
trifling. Rumelin mak^^s Cabul signify sicut id 
quod evanuit tanquam nihil. A most singular 
name is this ; but the explanation is not authorised 
by the word. Cabul must mean a shackle, or 
ligament of some sort." Michaelis says the region 
was so called^ because it was to have been ceded 
to Hiram in order to discharge the debt due to 
him by Solomon. But it was not ceded to him. 
Michaelis gets rid of this difficulty by saying, that 
it was named Cabul sarcastically by Hiram. I 
cannot believe, that the Jews would consent to call 
a district of their country by a nickname given to 
it by a stranger. I think we must find a better 
reason for the name than has yet been assigned. I 
have shown that the Provinces and Cities of Egypt 
were divided and named with reference to astrono- 
my, and I have been endeavouring to prove that 



336 



the same thing happened with respect to Judea. 
NoAv it has been remarked a little above, that the 
constellations, (seen while the Sun is in Libra 
the emblem of Asher, whose lot we are now consi- 
dering,) appear to be indicated. When the Sun 
enters Libra, Pisces declines from the Meridian at 
midnight. In Pisces is the link, or ligament, 
called (r()vle(riuog^ by the Greeks, and still repre- 
sented in our celestial globes. I think, that Cabul 
expresses this part of the constellation, after which 
the country was named. 

The remaining names have been explained 
already down to V. 32. Among them we find, 
Hebron, " conjunction;" — Rehob, space, or lati- 
tude;" — Hammon, the sign of Aries; — Zidon, 
the great hunter, and possibly the hunter Orion; 
—Achzib, the name of a star, for which consult 
Castelli in lo. 

The next lot was that of Naphthali, whose 
emblem was Virgo. 



337 



V. 33. 

Heleph has been already noticed, but I ought to 
have remarked, that it seems to have been an 
astronomical term among the Chaldeans. They 
had a kind of clock, which was called K'llD ^^PT, 
" the mutation, or transition of the series, or 
order" — I suppose, the order of time. 

\b'^, Allon — a tree, an oak tree." It will be 
remembered, that Avenar placed a tree among the 
emblems of the sign of Virgo. 

D''^ii^2i, Zaanannim. The word i^ij Zan is 
originally Egyptian, and the same with Soan, or 
Zoan, a solar title. ' 

Adami, already explained. But Adami Nekeb 
seem to signify " the red ones of the hollow or 



" See Castelli; Kircher, vol. 1. p. 21. and Bryant vol. 1. p. 42. 

Y 



338 



concave place." I must leave my reader to find 
out the sense, as it does not appear quite obvious 
to me, 

Jabneel—dlrea^dy explained. 

Zakum — This word, brought by Rumelin from 
bptD, seems to express e.vsiccation. 

Hukkoh See what I have said concerning 
Cepheus in another dissertation. 

XS^ky^y Iron is the next name which occurs, and 
which has not been explained. This name is proba- 
bly another form for nj*'T», " an idol of the 
Tsabaists." * 

Migdal-El'Horem, I understand this to signi- 
fy " the tower, or station of the Sun of great heat 
~or the station of the burning Sun.'* Perhaps 
the station of Hor in Taurus was meant. 



V 

* See Buxtorf s Chaldaic Lexicon. 



339 



Bith-aneth, The lexicographers translate the 
house of affliction. But Aneth appears to have 
been a Deity of the Tsabaists. I suspect it to 
have been a lunar title. 

Bith-Shemesh — " the house of the Sun." 

The names in the lot of Dan have been for the 
most part already explained. 

IrShemesh, The city of the Sun.'* 

Vdhv^, Shaalbin — " the dwelling of the foxes." 
This may easily be a false orthography, and the 
ain may have been written for an aleph, - The 
word would then signify the lozver dwelling, the 
inferior abode — in short, it would answer to Hades, 
which in the astronomical fables denoted the low^er 
hemisphere. Perhaps allusion may be made to the 
stars in Scorpius, called by the Arabians. 
The open sound of the ain may have often misled 
the ear, in writing proper names, and it may have 
been here inserted for a mu, or for a jod. But I 
think the first explanation the more probable of the 
two. 



340 



T]bD\ Jethlah, Rumelin translates this name — • 
he shall suspe7id, A strange sense for a proper 
name. I observe that 'hrs is the Chaldaic name 
for Serpens Ophiuchi, the constellation which is 
contiguous with Scorpius, 

Dti/^, Leshem. The name of certain stars in 
Scoj^pius. ' 

I shall now close my commentary on the Book 
of Joshua. I have said enough either to prove 
or to disprove my theory concerning it; and I 
must leave the decision to the judgment of my 
reader. 



* See my former Dissertations. 



V. 



SKETCH OF A COMMENTARY, 

OB 

ON THE 

BOOK OF JUDGES. 



C. 1. 

Having extended the last Dissertation to so 
great a length, I shall endeavour to be very concise 
in this ; and shall only notice some parts of the 
Book of Judges, which seem to me to bear an 
immediate and distinct reference to astronomy. 
For the proper names explained in the preceding 
Dissertation, my reader will of course consult it. 

V. S. 

p?l Adoni'Bezeh The solar title Adoni, 
or Adonis, is known as such to every schoolboy. 



344 



Bezek may signify either lightnings or a lamb. 
The Lord of lightning, or the Lord of the Lamb, 
or Ram, (by both of which names the sign of 
Aries was known,) evidently indicates the Sun, 
the principal Deity of the Tsabaists. 



V. r. 

Threescore and ten Kings. The numbers 70 
and 72 recur very frequently in the sacred text. 
It is to be observed^ that the Orientalists divided 
each Zodiacal sign into three parts. The twelve 
signs of the zodiac were then divided in thirty-six 
parts. These parts were again variously subdivided. 
Considered with respect to the circle, they w^ere 
divided by 10, and being multiplied by 12, amount- 
ed to 360, the number of days contained in the 
civil year. Considered with respect to the twelve 
signs of the Zodiac, they were divided and multi- 
plied by 12. For want of better words, I shall 
call these 36 divisions of the Zodiac either Decans^ 
or Dodecans. The three decans of each sign 
contained 10 degrees each, amounting to 30 for 



845 



each sign, and 30 X 12 zz 360. The three dode- 
cans contained 12 degrees each, amounting to S6 
for each sign, and 36 X 12 = 432. The excess 
of 432 above 360 is 72. But the 36 decans and 
dodecans into which the whole Zodiac was divided, 
being multiplied by 2, amount to 72 ; and this 
number seems consequently to have become a 
favorite one among the Cabalists. Now I 
observe, that the Cabahsts and calculators reck- 
oned all periods as circles. They, therefore, 
considered the first and last terms of a period as 
unit. Thus they reckoned the first dodecan or 
decan of Aries, as the same with the last dodecan, 
or decan of Pisces ; and consequently instead of 
counting 36 decans and dodecans in the Zodiacal 
circle, they reduced them to 3-5. Again, they 
counted the first term, or degree, of the first dode- 
can in the sign, as one and the same with the last 
term, or degree, of the last dodecan. Thus the 
number of degrees in the three dodecans, amounted, 
according to this mode of calculation, to 35, instead 
of 36. Hence it happens, that when the degrees 
of the three dodecans are multiplied by 2, we find 
sometimes, 35 X 2 m 70, and sometimes 



346 

36 X 2 — 72. Perhaps the hieroglyphic, by 
which the revolutions of time were denoted, will 
help to explain, how the first term and the last were 
considered as unit 



Here we see the tail of the serpent in his mouth; 
and the first and last terms of the circle united. 

I have little doubt, that this explanation of the 
numbers 70, and 72, so often recurring, will eluci- 
date many passages in the sacred text 



347 



V. 34. 35. 36. 

The Amorites, The word IDi^, amor, agnus, 
was the Chaldaic appellation of the sign of Aries, 
But Scorpius, the opposite sign to Taurus^ is 
preceded in its descent by the rising of Aries on 
the opposite side of the hemisphere. . Scorpius 
was the emblem of Dan. 

The Amorites would dwell in Mount Heres in 
Aijalon, Heres signifies the Sun." Aijalon 
" the great Ra7rL' The allusion to the sign of 
Aries can hardly be questioned. Akrabbim, " the 
Scorpions, the stars of Scorpius,'' 



C. 4. 



Sisera, Hiller translates this name " the exalt- 
ation of the Moon." 



348 



Harosheth of the Gentiles. But in the original 
the words are TW^n^ Harosheth of the Goim, 
The ancient Persian and Chaldaic word for a bull, 
was Go, or Gao, and by this name they indicated 
the sign of Taurus, Harosheth will bear many 
meanings, but I find, that the lexicographers trans- 
late the words before us, "the woods of the Gentiles." 
The dwelling of Sisera was then a pretty spacious 
one. But the stars of heaven were continually 
indicated by trees, groves, woods, &c. I under- 
stand, therefore, by these woods of the Goim, the 
stars of Taurus, where was the dwelling of Sisera, 
the exaltation of the Moon. The 20 years may 
be reckoned 20 days. 

*^ 

Deborah. I take this prophetess to have 
belonged to those stars in Taurus, which we call 
the Hyades, See what I have already said 
concerning Al-debaran, But Rumelin makes 
Deborah signify a bee, and the meaning is really 
so uncertain, that I shall not pretend to fix it. If, 
however, we abide by the lexicographers, I would 
rather translate, order, march, series ; the march 
of the celestial hosts being typified. 



349 



inT^b, Lapidoth, " lights, torches, &c/' 
Whether the stars were indicated by this word, I 
know not. 

Barak f " the lightning." 

Abinoam, " the father of amenity." Perhaps it 
is meant that the father of the pleasant season is 
the father of the lightning, as Abinoam was the 
father of Barak, 

The signs of Virgo, Capricorn, and Taurus, are 
indicated by Naphthali, Zebulon, and Ephraim. I 
have already confessed my embarrassment with 
respect to the word Tabor, I think the tetk and 
the tau may have been exchanged. Tabor may 
then signify " the middle or central part" 

The river Kishon Sisera, My reader will 
observe what I have before said of Kishon ; and 
the word here translated a river is bTXl — Certainly 
the original name of the Nile, which answered in 
astronomy to the river called by us the EridanuSy 
and which in the Egyptian planispheres reached 



350 



from En-Regel, the fountain of the foot of Orion, 
to the urn of Aquarius, which was its source. 

Jabin and Hazor are two words that relate to 
parts of the temple, the t3^pe of the Universe. 

" Heber the Kenite, the child of Hobab,'' signi- 
fies conjunction, the balancer, the son of the 
beloved. 

Jael signifies a hind of goat. I know not 
whether the allusion be to Capricorn, It seems to 
me that the whole of this story relates to a reform 
in the Calendar, concerning the Moon's revolutions. 
In fact, the words of Deborah confirm this conject- 
ure. The 20th verse of C. 5th, should be trans- 
lateda " the stars fought from heaven, from their 
own exaltations they fought against Sisera — i. e. — 
the exaltation of the Moon." 



C. 6. 



The next allegory relates to the defeat of the 
Midianites by Gideon. I am of opinion, that 



351 



this story refers to the harvest season, which by the 
use of the rural year had been miscalculated » 

Midian, " the measure," seems to imply the 
measurement of the heavens, and consequently of 
time. The Midianites were probably those, who 
having made false measurements, or false calcula- 
tions, concerning the rising of those constellations 
when the people were to sow and to reap, had 
occasioned a dearth in the country. 

Amakkites, I h|ve explained this word in a 
former Dissertation. It signifies " the people of 
the beetles, or locusts, or caterpillars." These 
animals so destructive of the harvests are brought 
in innumerable quantities by the South-East 
winds, which blow so frequently in Syria during 
the Summer and Autumn. 

Ophrah signifies dust. It has been already 
mentioned ; but it seems here to imply the clouds 
of dust brought by the same winds. 

Joash signifies Despair. 



552 



Abi-Ezer seems here to signify the father of 
help — Despair begot the remedy. 

Gideo7i signifies cutting down. The cutting 
down of the corn seems to be implied. But he 
who did this was compelled to go to war with the 
Measurers, or false calculators^ and to destroy 
Baal, and the Grove, the emblems which these 
idolatrous and ignorant astrologers had set up as 
types of the Sun and the hosts of heaven. 

ni9, Phiirah may signify either a fruitful 
branch, or a hefer, 

BithShittah, The house, or mansion of 
declination" — an astronomical term already 
explained. 

Zererath. " The narrow place, or angle;" 
probably that formed by the ecliptic and equator 
at the autumnal equinox. 

Abel-Meholah, The lamentation of Meholahy 
otherwise called Mahlah^ " an idol of the Moon." 



353 



This Mahlah was feigned to have been one of the 
four mothers that brought forth evil spirits. 

mD, TahhatJu " The month of December, or 
the tenth Moon." 

nnO^, Orth. The evening." • 

Zeeb, This word signifies^ wolf —hut I 
have shown that it was a symbol of Mercury, or 
Anubis, and that it particularly mdicated the 
crepuscular light. ' 



C. 8. 

There seemed to be two objects yet to remain 
for Gideon, or the reformer who introduced the 
reaping of the harvests at the proper season. The 
first was to fix the sacrifices at the proper periods 



* Diss, on the 49th chap, of Genesis, 



354 



of the year ; and the second might have been to 
determine the true time by the help of the gnomon, 
or dial. It would appear that the Midianites, or 
Measurers, had miscalculated the times for offering 
up sacrifices, and had also failed to place the dials 
in their just positions with respect to the Cardinal 
points » 



V. 6. 

/- 

jy)3V, Succoth, This name appears to come in 
this place from the Chaldaic word HOD, to specu- 
late, to ohserm. The reformer applied for assist- 
ance to the men of speculations, or in other words 
to those employed in the observatories ; but his 
request was refused by them. 

nit) Zebah, This word signifies a sacrifice* 
The reformer probably meant, either to regulate 
the seasons when sacrifices should be offered ; or, 
perhaps, to abolish the celebration of sacrifices 
offered to idols. 



355 



Zalmumh, I find in the Onomasticon 
that this word signifies the disturbed shadow, I 
conclude, then, that allusion is made to the gnomons 
not being properly placed. It was of course neces- 
sary for the reformer of the Calendar to destroy 
this disturbed shadow. 

Penuel. This word seems to me to signify the 
aspects of El, or of the Sun, The two roots are 
clearly n^Q and bik. 

Karkor, is translated destructissimus, by 
Rumehn &c. I rather imagine that it means the 
cold, or Winter season, — from ipffrigus, 

T^yi^Nobach, Latrator'"^ The latrator Anubis 
was the Egyptian symbol for the planet Mercury. 

Jogbehahy is translated e.vultabitur in the 

Onomasticon. It is certainly from tl2^ ; but as a 

proper name it probably implied some of the 
celestial host. 



^ See Bochart's derivation of Anul?i$ from this root. 



356 



Ephod. This made part of the dress of the 
Priests. ' Gideon had 70 legitimate sons. This 
type has been ahxady explained. The first and 
last terms in the three dodecans, taken as unit, 
amount to 35 ; and 35 X 2 = 70. But the 
first and last terms are taken as unit to express the 
continuity of the circular rotation ; and the tail of 
the serpent is placed in his mouth to show, that, 
time is still resolved into time. When, therefore, 
the revolution of time divided by '36 is represented, 
the first and last terms are united, and the cycle, or 
circle is reckoned quasi 35. But upon the same 
principle, if the cycle or circle be 72 and the first 
and last terms be united, in order to express the 
circular continuity, the number will be 71. We 
find that Gideon had 70 legitimate sons, and one 
bastard. 

Abi-Mekch\ — This is a solar title composed, of 
Abi, " a father," and Melech, a king." 



' Consult the extracts which I have made from Clemens. 



337 



C. 9. 10. 11. 12. 

My reader wiil easily follow the allegories 
contained in these chapters, even by the help of a 
common lexicon. I proceed to consider the 
history of Samson. 



C. 15. 

Zorah — This word, denoting the sign of AS'c^^r- 
pius, the emblem of Dan, has been already 
explained. 

Manoah, is derived from ni^, which I have 
already shown to be the ancient word for night, 

"in^, a Nazarite. Some of the lexicographers 
translate separated^ but I miderstand the Nazarite 
to be one who is crowned. 



358 



Wm, Samson. The Sun." — Now if my 
readers be not aware that Hercules was a type of 
the Sun, they may turn to the works of Gebehn and 
Dupuis ; and in those of the former they will 
find a curious parallel drawn between Samson and 
Hercules. Some things, however, have escaped 
the notice of Gebelin, which I shall briefly mention. 

Eshtaol, HadeSy or the loxver hemisphere' — 
already explained. 

C. 14. 

Timnath, I have already observed that this is 
an astronomical term in Chaldaic — it seems to 
signify an octant ; but in its original sense it was 
probably used to denote a portion or segment of 
the circle. That the term was employed astrono- 
mically, even in Hebrew, appears from the words 
rnn nyon, which signify the Segment, or portion 
of the Sun, 

The Philistines, — " the revolvers, the wander- 
ers, &c." Were these the planets 



359 



Behold a young lion roared against him. The 
defeat of this Hon by Samson reminds us of the 
combat of Hercules with the Nemean lion. In 
both examples it is the first of the labors. The 
Summer solstice being in Leo will account for this 
similarity. 

Thirty companions were given to Samson^ or the 
Sun. These were clearly the days of the civil 
month. 

Ashkelon. Ignis torrefaciens." Onom, 



C. 15. 

The story of Samson and the foxes is curiously 
illustrated by Gebelin. I shall, therefore, refer 
my reader to him. But though a similar fable 
may have been told of Hercules, I am inclined to 
think, that the whole has originated in a mistake 
occasioned by the resemblance in sound of two 
words, one of which signifies a fo.v^ and the other 



360 



flame. See what I have ah'eady said on the 
subject. 

O^Vi Etam, " an eagle." Runielin. Every 
schoolboy knows the eagle to be a solar symbol. 

TT^, Lehi, " a jaw-bone." It will be remem- 
bered, that in the first decan of Zeo, an ass's head 
was represented by the Orientalists. * 

*^rh r\t2ry, Ramath Lehu The high place of the 
jaw-bone." 

En-hakkore. " The fountain of tiie palm-tree- 
pulp." signifies that pulpy substance of the 
palm-trety which the Orientalists consider as a 
delicious nutriment. But how came Samson to 
give the name of En-hakkore to the place? I 
know not, unless it were, that the palm-tree is sacred 
to the Sun ; and particularly in the sign of Leo. 



* See my Dissertation on the 49th chapter of Genesis. 



361 



C. 16. 

Gaza. I have already observed, that Gaza 
signifies a Goat, and was the type of the Sun in 
Capricorn. It will be remembered, that the Gates 
of the Sun were feigned bv the ancient astrono- 
mers to be in Capricorn and in Cancer, from which 
signs the tropics are named. Samson carried away 
the gates from Gaza to Hebron, the city of 
conjunction. Now Court Gebelin tells us, that at 
Cadiz, where Hercules was anciently worshipped, 
there was a representation of him, with a gate on 
his shoulders. This fact helps not a little to iden- 
tify Hercules with Samson. 

Sorec, signifies a vine, 

Delilah. I derive this name from to 
exhaust^ attenuate. Sec, The story of Samson 
and Delilah may remind us of Hercules and 
Omphale. 



562 



As I write for scholars, hints are sufficient ; and, 
therefore, I leave them to fill up the canvas, where 
my sketches are unfinished. 

Thus it will be remembered, that the yellow 
hair of Apollo was the symbol of the solar rays ; 
and Samson with his shaven head may typify the 
Sun when " shorn of his beams." 

Samson had seven locks, and these answer, in 
number at least, to the seven planets. 

But it is time to recollect, that my business is 
rather to encourage others to examine and explain 
these allegories, than to attempt to elucidate the 
whole myself. 



VI. 

Dtgsfertation, 



A 



^l)ott Dt0jsettatton 

CONCERNING THE PASCHAL LAMB. 



We have ah'eady seen, that about 4, 300 3^ears 
ago, the Sun, at the vernal equinox, passed from 
the sign of Taurus into that of Aries, It was 
apparently while the equinoctial Sun continued in 
Taurus, a period of above £,000 years, that 
astronomy was first cultivated in the East, and 
that the Tsabaists established their idolatrous 
worship of the Sun, the Moon, and the Hosts of 
Heaven. But the Orientalists, in general, seem to 
have dated the commencement of the astronomi- 
cal year, if I be allowed the expression, from the 
vernal equinox ; and while the Bull was the 
symbol of the Sun in the first of the signs, it was 



366 



considered as an object of the highest veneration. 
The monuments of all the ancient Oriental nations 
bear testimony to the respect, which was entertained 
for this symbol of the great God of the Tsabaists. 
Apis, Mnevis, the bull of Mithras, &c. were only 
so many types of the celestial Bull, or rather of 
the Sun in that sign. It was consequently 
supposed, that bulls, calves, and oxen, were most 
acceptable victims, when sacrificed at the shrines 
of the Sun, known in different regions by the 
various names of Osiris, Mithras, Moloch, Adonis, 
and lao. 

At the remote period of which I am speaking, 
the solstices had place, when the Sun was in Leo 
and Aquarius, and the equinoxes, when the same 
luminary was in Taurus and Scorpius. As the 
year then commenced at the vernal equinox, 
and as Taurnis was the first of the signs, the Tsaba- 
ists founded their idolatrous worship on this order 
of things. In progress of time, however, the 
retrograde motion of the fixed stars must have 
made it evident to astronomers, that the solstices 
and equinoxes had passed into other signs, and that, 
consequently, the veneration of the vulgar for 



367 



certain symbols became misplaced. Thus the 
Sun at the vernal equinox passed from the sign 
of Taurus to that of Aries^ which became in its 
turn the first of the zodiacal constellations. But 
though astronomers might perceive this, it was 
probably not quite so easy to make the ignorant 
and superstitious people comprehend, why the 
principal symbol of their principal God should be 
changed from a bull, or calf, to a ram, or lamb. 

It is to this source, that I am inclined to attribute 
the adoration, which was peculiarly offered up to 
bulls and calves, as principal symbols of the Sun, 
long after Taurus had ceased to be the first of the 
signs. The astronomers of Thebes in Egypt seem 
to have been the first, who obtained from the multi- 
tude that veneration for sheep, which is so remarka- 
bly noticed by Herodotus. In other regions, the 
Bull continued, through the lapse of ages, to 
maintain an unjust pre-eminence over the Ram, or 
Lamb, which had become the first of the signs. 
It is curious^ indeed, to observe, that the Bull is 
still so much venerated in India, 4,300 years after 
the celestial bull ceded his place in the heavens to 
the Ram, or Lamb ; nor is it less extraordinary^ 



368 



that there have been, perhaps, more adorers of the 
Sun in Jries, since that constellation ceased to be 
the first of the signs, than there were before. 

It is evident from the idolatrous worship offered 
by the Israelites to the golden calf, that they were 
not so well instructed in astronomy as the Thebans. 
Moses, who was learned in all the wisdom of the 
Egyptians, must have known, that Taui^us was no 
longer the leader of the celestial hosts ; and in 
appointing the feast of the passover, he seems to 
have desired to amend both the religion and the 
astronomy of the Hebrews. 

The word which ^^e translate passover (Heb. 
rrD3) properly signifies transit, and is sometimes 
taken for that which makes a tramit. Hence the 
Paschal lamb was frequently called rTD3 pesach, as 
making the transit. I pretend that the feast of 
the transit was instituted as a memorial of the 
transit of the equinoctial Sun fi^om the sign of the 
Bull to that of the Ram, or Lamb, 



Before I proceed further, however, it will be 



369 



necessary to say something of the annual periods 
of the Egyptians. 

It appears, that the Egyptians, besides their 
lunar year, of which I do not intend to take notice 
at present, had four different years. These I shall 
term the astronomical, the canicular, the civil, and 
the sacred. 

The astronomical year of the Egyptians 
commenced with the vernal equinox. Aratus, 
having confounded it with the canicular year, has 
made Cancer the first of the signs, for which he 
has been reproved by Theon. 

Wherefore, (says the latter) ^ has he taken the 
commencement from Cancer, when the Egyptians 
date the beginning from Aries? 

The Rabbins acknowledge, that the Egyptians 
preceded the Hebrews in fixing the commencement 
of the year at the vernal equinox, when the Sun 



* p. 69. 

A a 



370 



was in Jries. Incipiebajit autem JEgyptii, says 
R. A. Seba, numtrarc menses ah eo tempore^ qua 
Sol ingressus est in initium sideris A7netis, &c. * 

The Egyptians dated the canicular year from the 
rising of Sirius. The commencement of the year^ 
says Porphyry, is not dated Jrom Aquarius by the 
Egyptians, as it is by the Romans , but from 
Cancer ; for Sot his, zvhich the Greeks call the dog- 
star, is near to Cancer, and the first day of the 
month, according to them, is fixed by the rising of 
Sothis, &c. * Censorinus, speaking of this canicu- 
lar year, says, Grceci TtvviKQV, Latini " canicularem^ 
*oocamus, propterea quod initimn illius sumitur, 
cum primo die ejus mensis, quem "vocant JEgyptii 
Thoth, caniculce sidus oritur. ' This last expression 
of Censorinus does not appear quite clear to me. 
The month Thoth, as we shall presently see, 
answered nearly to our month of September. 



* I am led to think that this astronomical year was that 
consisting of 360 days, to which the Priests annually added 
five days and a quarter. But see Diodorus Siculus, L. 1. 

* De antro nymphanm, ^ De die mt. C. 18. 



371 



The civil year of the Egyptians commenced ^vith 
the month Thoth. Alpherganius, in speaking of 
the Persian and Egyptian months, thus expresses 
himself. At menses ^gyptii hodie aliter proce- 
dunt intercalando quarto anno: quare eorum 
menses jam Persicis dissimiles, at cum GrcEcls 
atque Syriis congruunt, Frimus apud eos dies 
est Q9us Angus ti. The 29 th of August was, 
indeed, the day when the month Thoth commenced ; 
but this establishment of the civil year, commen- 
cing with the month Thoth, is generally supposed 
not to have taken place until the time of Augustus 
Caesar. I am, however, inclined to think, that the 
Egyptians had from the most remote antiquity a fixed 
year commencing with this month. The calendar 
of the Egyptians appears to have been reformed 
in the time of Augustus ; but it seems strange to 
affirm that the Egyptians had no fixed year before 
that period. Joseph Scaliger severely reprehends 
Plutarch, for speaking of certain months as fixed 
in the ancient times of the Egyptians. It is true, 
that the sacred year was a vague year, as we shall 
presently see ; but it does not therefore follow, that 
the Egyptians had no year that was fixed. The 
puzzle seems to arise from this : The word Thoth, 



372 



according to Jablonski, signifies the beginning. 
Hence it was applied to the beginning of the year, 
whether vague, or fixed ; and thus the thoth might 
be any month of the solar year, as denoting the first 
month of the vague year ; or it might be the first 
month of an established year. 

The sacred year of the Egyptians was vague. 
Its thotJi^ or commencement, must have been 
originally at the rising of Sirius, It was composed 
of 365 days ; and consequently a day was lost at 
the end of every fourth year. This day the Priests 
did not intercalate for tlie sacred year, which thus 
became vague; and hence they obtained one of 
their cycles. One thousand four hundred and sixty 
one years^ consisting of 365 days each, are equal 
to 1460 solar years. This was called the Sothic 
period, which shows, that the sacred year originally 
commenced with the canicular. 

Having thus briefly spoken of the Egyptian 
annual periods, I shall only add, that if I have 
named them wrongly, I trust it is of the less conse- 
quence, as I have pointed out their commence- 
ment. But I cannot agree with those authors, 



373 



who make the canicular year a vague year. The 
sacred year, which originally commenced with the 
rising of Sirius^ was certainly vague ; but it seems 
impossible to suppose, that the year, to which 
Porphyry alludes, was likewise vague. In fact, if 
this year had contained only 365 days, without 
intercalation, the rising of Sirius would, in the 
lapse of a few centuries, have been fixed nearer to 
the winter than to the summer solstice. Now when 
we consider how much importance was attached 
to the rising of Sirius by the Egyptians, we can 
hardly imagine, that they looked for it at any other 
time, than what their annual experience proved to 
them to be the true time. I have no objection, 
however, to state the matter thus. Let us call the 
canicular rural year fixed, and the canicular sacred 
year vague ; for I admit, that the vague year 
originally commenced with the rising of Sirius. 
But the Priests appear to have intercalated a day 
every fourth year for the former, and to have omit- 
ted it for the latter. That the canicular rural year 
could not be vague is evident, I think, from the 
statement of Hor-Apollo. From the retrograde 
motion of the fixed stars, the Egyptians were obliged 
to add a day every fourth year, upon the same 



374 



plan as we do in our bissextile years. It would be 
soon obvious, that the rising of Sirius, without 
■having recourse to this expedient, would be 
retarded a day every fourth year. At the begin- 
ning of the fifth canicular rural year, this day was 
accordingly introduced. The emblem of this 
astronomical process was represented by an acre 
divided into four parts : — but see Hor-Apollo. ' 
Now for the vague year, this quarter of a day 
was omitted ; and, therefore, after the expiration 
of the fourth canicular sacred year, it would 
require 14^0 years to make the canicular 
sacred and vague year commence again precisely 
with the canicular rural and fixed year. The 
Egyptian Kings, according to an ancient writer 
cited by Jablonski, were obliged to swear, that 
they would not allow any intercalation in the year 
of 365 days, by which a day fixed for a festival 
should be changed ; and it is chiefly upon this 
authority, that I have marked the vague and 
sacred year of the Egyptians to have been the 
same. But it is time that I return to the Hebrews, 



' L. 1. C. 5. 



375 



Before the departure of the Hebrews from 
Egypt, their civil year commenced with the month 
Tisri, The month Tisri is called n^ti^rr t^KI, the 
beginning of the year in the Talmud but the 
author of the Chaldaic Paraphrase ' observes of 
Tisri, also called Ethanim, that it was the month 
which the ancients called the first, hut which is now 
the seventh. It follows, then, that Tisri answered 
to the Egyptian month Thoth, which was the first 
month of the civil year of the Egyptians, and 
which nearly answered to September. I cannot 
help thinking, that the Israelites took the use of 
this year from the example of the Egyptians. 

When the Hebrews left Egypt, their legislator 
gave them another vear. It commenced with the 
month Nisan, also called Abib. On the tenth day 
of this month the Paschal Lamb was separated ; 
and on the fourteenth the feast of the transit was 
held. 

Now if this ceremony had nothing to do with 
the astronomical ram, or lamb, we shall find some 



* 1. Kings, viii. 2. 



376 

curious circumstances, for which I shall leave others 
to account. 

We learn from the author of the Oriental 
Chronicle, that the day, when the Paschal festival 
commenced, was that in which the Sun entered 
into the sign of the ram, or the sign of the lamb, 
as it was called by the Persians and Syrians. Erat 
dies iste quo Sol ingressus est primum signum 
Arietis, &c. R. Bechai, in commenting on the 
12th chapter of Exodus, speaks to the following 
purpose. Scripsit Maimonides^ in ratione hujus 
prceceptij quod propterea quod sidus Aries in mense 
Nisan maxime ^oaleret^ et hoc sidus fructus germi- 
nave faceret, ided jussit Deus mac tare ai^ietem, &c. 
Here is a pretty clear avowal on the part of 
Maimonides, the most learned of the Rabbins, that 
the Paschal lamb was a type of the astronomical 
lamb. 

But the Rabbins tell us, that the lamb was slain, 
in order to wean the Israelites from the idolatrous 
worship which the Egyptians offered to the Sun 
under the form of a ram. There can be no ques- 
tion^ that Ammon^ the type of the Sun in Aries ^ 



^377 

was worshipped by the Egyptians. Herodotus 
says, ' that the statues of Jupiter Ammon had 
the head of a ram. We are told by Eusebius * 
that the idol of Ammon had a ram's head with the 
horns of a goat. Proclus (on the Timasus of Plato ^) 
observes, that the Egyptians venerated the ram in 
an extraordinary manner, inasmuch as they affixed 
a ram's head to Ammon. Now, say the Rabbins, 
our forefathers were ordered to slay a lamb, in order 
to mark their abomination of Ammon ; because 
the lamb was held sacred by the Egyptians, who 
never killed a sheep, it being the type of their 
God. 

There is an objection to be made to this state- 
ment. It is not exactly founded upon fact. Hero- 
dotus ^ tells us, that in the temple of Mendes, and 
in the Mendesian nome, they preserved goats, and 
sacrificed sheep. Strabo ^ says, that in his time 
the Egyptians nowhere sacrificed sheep but in the 
Nitriotic nome. It is not quite accurate, then, to 



' L. 2. C. 42. 
' U 1. 



^ Prseparat. Evang. L. 3. C. 12. 
* L. 2. C. 42. ^ L. 17, 



378 



say that the Egyptians never killed sheep, and that 
for that reason the Israelites were commanded to 
slay the Paschal lamb. 

"We have seen by the avowal of the Rabbins 
themselves, that the Paschal lamb was a type of 
the astronomical lamb. What, if we were to find, 
that the feast of the transit was copied from a festi- 
val instituted by the Egyptians ? 

R. A. Seba, whom I have already quoted, admits, 
that at the time when the feast of the transit 
was first established among the Israelites, the 
Egyptians already had begun to count their months 
from the entrance of the Sun into Aries; and then 
he adds, afque is 7nensis ( Phamenoth ) totusfestd 
solennitatt celthrabatur, &c. In the Oriental 
Chronicle it is said, that the day, when the Sun 
entered into Aries was soknnis ac celeberrimus 
apud JEgyptios. But this ^Egyptian festival 
commenced on the very day, when the Paschal lamb 
w^as separated. Insuper die meiisis decimo, says 
R. A. Seba; ipso illo die quo ^gyptii incipiebant 
celebrare cultim arietisy ^c, placuit Deo tit sume- 
rent agnumj 8^x, 



S79 



But, continue the Rabbins, the Egyptians adored 
the ram, or lamb, at this festival, whereas the 
Hebrews slew the lamb. This, therefore, only 
proves the more, that the Paschal lamb was slain 
in order to wean the Israelites from the idolatry 
of the Egyptians. I must observe, that this 
reasoning does not seem to be founded upon fact. 
Herodotus tells us, that once a year, on a certain 
day, at the festival of Jupiter Ammon, the people 
of Thebes in Egypt slew a ram. But Jupiter 
Ammon was no other than the Sun in Aries. This 
annual festival then must have been that, which 
the Rabbins acknowledge to have been celebrated 
at the same time with the feast of the transit. The 
Sun came into Aries on the tenth of Nisan, which 
month answers to the Egyptian Phamenoth. At 
the annual festival of Ammon, or of the Sun in 
Aries, a ram was slain by the Thebans. At the 
annual feast of the Jews, when the Sun was in 
Aries, a male lamb was slain. How will the 
Rabbins prove, that their ancestors did not copy 
this custom from the Egyptians, whose festival on 
this occasion they admit to have been instituted 
before their own ? 



380 



But, say the Rabbins, there was nothing in the 
Egyptian festival, similar to the custom of the 
Israehtes, in marking the doors, &c. with blood. 
My opinion is that there was something very like 
it. St. Epiphanius says, that about the vernal 
equinox, the Egyptians had been accustomed, from 
the most remote antiquity, to celebrate the festival 
of the ram, or lamb. At this festival, he adds, 
they used to mark every thing about them with red. 
I have not a copy of Epiphanius before me ; but 
I am pretty certain that I have read a passage in 
him to this purpose. 

It may be remarked, that nD3 pesach, the 
transit, is sometimes employed to signify the lamb. 
It consequently follows, that the lamb was under- 
stood as at least the type of that which made the 
transit. But this becomes very intelligible, if the 
lamb were the type of the Sun making his transit 
into the sign of Aries at the vernal equmox. 

When, indeed, we find that this feast of the 
passover, or transit, was instituted at the time when 
the Jewish lawgiver altered the Calendar, and 



381 



when he made the first month of the year that 
very month, in which the equinoctial Sun passed 
into Aries, it seems difficult to imagine that the 
Paschal lamb had nothing to do with the astrono- 
mical ram. But this opinion, which I submit to 
the judgment of my readers, becomes strongly 
confirmed by the customs and practices of the 
Egyptians, from whom the Jews copied many of 
their ceremonies, and obtained the greater part of 
their knowledge. 




LONDON: 

PRINTED BY A. J. VALPY, TOOK'S COURT^ 
CHANCERY LANE. 

1811. 



